Wonders of the World series: Stonehenge

18-06-2008 15:55

If you ever find yourself in the beautiful English county of Wiltshire, it would be criminal not to go and marvel at the prehistoric monument that is Stonehenge.

Probably one of Britain’s most famous landmarks, Stonehenge will be packed full of bodies on June 21, as people flock to the stones to celebrate Summer Solstice: when the sun reaches the northernmost point on the celestial sphere.

A record breaking 14,500 people gathered at Stonehenge in 2001 to see the sun rise on the longest day of the year

A record breaking 14,500 people gathered at Stonehenge in 2001 to see the sun rise on the longest day of the year, amongst those present were Druids, New Age Travellers and ordinary observers who gathered around the stones at around 4am to enjoy the best sunrise they have ever seen.

This year's Solstice looks set to be packed with people from around the globe who believe that the stones were constructed with some religious astronomical purpose in mind, return here every year for the solstice.

The English Heritage have even released a conditions of entry document on their website to ensure nothing gets out of hand on the longest day of the year.

Stonehenge itself is composed of earthworks surrounding a circular setting of large standing stones which aarchaeologists believe were erected around 2200 BC and new archaeological evidence reveals that Stonehenge served as a burial ground in its early days.

The monument was produced by a culture with no written language, yet over the years, various authors have suggested that supernatural or anachronistic methods were used, usually asserting that the stones were impossible to move otherwise.