Stonehenge is the English prehistoric landmark consisting of a ring of standing stones on Salisbury Plain.
The monument was built and modified over many centuries, beginning with an earthwork enclosure around 3000 BC. The familiar stone settings belong mainly to later stages, including the placement of large sarsen stones and smaller bluestones.
Stonehenge’s builders created a carefully arranged monument with astronomical alignments, especially around the solstices. Its exact purpose remains debated, but archaeological evidence shows that it was part of a wider ceremonial landscape containing burial sites, avenues, earthworks, and nearby monuments.
The sarsen stones came from the Marlborough Downs, while many bluestones were transported from the Preseli Hills in Wales, roughly 225 kilometres away. Stonehenge is not a single undisturbed circle built at one time; it is the result of repeated construction and alteration across generations.