Stonehenge
The Building Of Stonehenge
Stonehenge is an ancient monument in Wiltshire in the southwest of England.
Archeological investigation shows that it was built in three phases - first as an earth mound, then with timber uprights, and finally in stone. The first phase took place around 3,000 BCE and it took about 1,500 years until the final stones were in place.
It's amazing to think that the building works took one and half thousand years to complete.
Stones Used In The Construction Of Stonehenge
Remarkably, some of the stones used in the construction weigh more than 45 tons.
Even more remarkable is that some of the smaller stones used in the construction - weighing about four tons - came from the Presili Hills in Wales, 150 miles (250km) away.
How were the stones transported and why, when there were local stones available, would anyone go to the trouble of transporting stones all that way? These are unanswered questions.
What Is Stonehenge
It seems clear that Stonehenge was used in ceremonies and rituals that took place at the summer solstice, but it is also thought that it was an astronomical observatory.
Photographing Stonehenge
We were lucky that on the day we visited Stonehenge the sun was shining and the sky was full of puffy white clouds. It was quite late on a summer's evening and the shadows were long, making for an atmospheric scene.
For the technically minded, this shot was taken with the Panasonic GG1 with 20mm f1.7 lens.