Stonehenge

Stonehenge (Saxon, Stan, stone, and hangian, to hang or support), an ancient monument of Druidical or Keltic origin, which stands upon Salisbury Plain, two miles from Amesbury, Wilts. It consists of an outer circle, 300 feet in circumference, composed of upright stones 16 to 22 feet high and 18 feet round, upon the tops of which are laid blocks of similar size, so as to form a series of continuous square arches. Within these, at a distance of nine feet, is a circle of smaller monoliths having no imposts. This ring encloses two ovals, the larger of which consisted of five pairs of trilithons, rising in height from E. to W., the smaller comprising nineteen tapering monoliths, whilst in the centre of the whole system lies an altar slab 15 feet Iong. A ditch enclosed the entire work, which was approached by an avenue in which stands a cromlech known as the Friar's Heel. Antiquarians variously fix the date of its construction between the 1st century B.C. and the 5th century A.D., and there is reason to believe that the structure had an astronomical significance as well as a religious use.