Zespół Szkolno-Przedszkolny w Mycielinie

Stonehenge

Stonehenge is a circular group of huge stone blocks in southern England. It is located near the city of Salisbury ( England). People built Stonehenge  between 5,000 and 3,500 years ago. No one knows  why Stonehenge was built. Many scholars think that it was a place of religious worship. How could people thousands of years ago have transported and  such colossal stones?

A legend from the 12^th century claimed  a wizard named Merlin magically moved the stone circle to England from Ireland.

Today only ruins of Stonehenge are still standing. Hundreds of years ago builders took many of the stones for use in other places. Other stones have fallen down. But the ruins still give an idea of what Stonehenge looked like in prehistoric times.

The largest stones were arranged in two groups. One was a circle of flat stones that rested on other stones that stood upright. The other group was inside the circle. These stones weighed as much as 50 tons each.

Stonehenge also included smaller stones that weighed up to 4 tons each. The lighter stones weigh about 3,600kg each (that’s the same as two cars!), while the bigger  stones  weigh 22 tonnes each. – that’s as heavy as four African elephants Some of these stones had to be moved 240 miles (385 kilometers) from the place where they were mined. No one knows how this was done.

A straight path called the Avenue led away from the circles. An upright stone called the Heel Stone still stands near the center of the Avenue. On the longest day of the year (usually June 21), a person standing in the center of the stone circle can see the Sun rise directly above the Heel Stone. This has led some archaeologists (people who study things made by ancient people) to guess that Stonehenge was built by people who worshipped the Sun. Stonehenge may have been a ‘calendar’, linked to the study of the stars.Stonehenge was used as a cemetery In 1986 Stonehenge was designated a World Heritage site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

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Bibliografia:                                                                                        https://www.natgeokids.com/uk/discover/history/general-history/stonehenge-facts/ https://kids.britannica.com/kids/article/Stonehenge/353815