Stonehenge

Well....after visiting Stonehenge on Saturday we are more confused that ever about the purpose of this stone circle in the countryside of England. Before listening to the audio guide we associated Stonehenge with Druid religious rituals. As it turns out, the Druids had nothing to do with the construction of the Stonehenge. They were known to have conducted their pagan rituals in sacred forest groves. We learned during the tour that it was used as an astronomical observatory. So we conclude now that Stonehenge was used simultaneously for both astronomical observation and ritual function. The Stonehenge observations were used to determine the solstices, equinoxes and lunar days.

Archaelogists believe that Stonehenge was built between 3100 - 1100 BCE. It is estimated that the construction of Stonehenge required more than 30 million hours of labor. It interesting to note that there are about 900 stone rings (henges) around the British Isles. Stonehenge is the most well known.