Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, built in several stages over more than a thousand years. The first stage, around 3000 BCE, was a circular ditch and bank, and the large sarsen stones were set up in a circle and horseshoe about 2500 BCE. The smaller bluestones were brought from the Preseli Hills in Wales, some 230 kilometres away, an extraordinary feat for people without metal tools or wheeled transport. The monument is aligned with the sunrise at midsummer and the sunset at midwinter. Its purpose is still debated, with suggestions including a ceremonial site, a burial ground and a calendar. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and attracts large crowds at the solstices.
Before and after
- from c. 3,180 BCE to 2,500 BCEOrigins of Skara Brae
- from c. 3,150 BCE to 2,890 BCEFirst Dynasty of Egypt
- c. 3,101 BCENarmer unifies Egypt
- from c. 3,100 BCE to 2,686 BCEEarly Dynastic Period of Egypt
- from 31st century BCE to 14th century BCEConstruction of Stonehenge
- from 31st century BCE to 20th century BCECorded Ware culture
- c. 3,000s BCEThe Austronesian expansion begins from Taiwan
- c. 3,000s BCEYamnaya herders spread across Europe and Asia
- c. 3,000 BCECuneiform
More in Civilizations & archaeology
- c. 1,274 BCEConstruction of Abu Simbel
- from 8th century BCE to 3rd centuryClassical antiquity
- from 206 BCE to 220 CEHan dynasty
- 200 BCEOrigins of Nazca Lines
- 19 BCEConstruction of Western Wall
- from 375 CE to 568 CEMigration Period
The era
This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires.