top 10 interesting facts about stonehenge by Stella

top 10 interesting facts about stonehenge by: Stella Abramyan Liliya Airapetyan 7 С School 29 “Harmony” Teacher M. A. Gryazeva

10. stonehenge is believed to be ancient than egyptian pyramids Stonehenge is located in Wiltshire, England near the town of Amesbury. This prehistoric wonder is said to have been built nearly 400 years before the Egyptian Pyramids were constructed. The construction of Stonehenge began during 31 st century BC, which took 1500 years while the first Egyptian Pyramid is known to have been built during 27 th century BC only. Stonehenge is one of the 900 stone circles in England.

9. did aliens build the stonehenge? There exist several different theories about the architects of Stonehenge. Some people believe that Stonehenge was credited by the Druids to carry out their rituals. Another theory suggests that it was built by the Neolithic Agrarians, also called the Windmill Hill people. The site probably was a cemetery as there are many burial mounds around the area And the most interesting theory of all is that of alien construction of the megalithic monument. It suggests that the perfect geometrical design of Stonehenge circle couldn’t be built by the humans. So, some scientists argue the megalithic Stonehenge was built by the Aliens.

8. misguiding theories of stonehenge There are many misguiding theories and myths surrounding the mystery of Stonehenge. Some of them are religious and other scientific. We can only assume what the real purpose of the construction might have been. In the 17 th century, an English architect John Webb, said that the Stonehenge was originally built by the Romans as a temple dedicated to a Roman God of Sky, Coelus. Later Dr. Walter Charleton gave another theory that it were Danish arriving after the Romans, who built it. Some people believe the site was used by Merlin (a mythical character, to have been created Stonehenge)and the Devil!

7. the construction of megalithic stonehenge is perfectly geometric Stonehenge is a ditch consisting of circular ring of standing stones making concentric crop circles. There were two major types of stones used in the construction, namely Sarsen stones weighing 25 tons with an average height of 18 ft. and the Bluestones, weighing up to 4 tons. It is believed that the Bluestones, which are special type of volcanic rocks, were brought to the site from nearly 240 miles away.

6. Was Stonehenge Just a Burial Site or an Astronomical Clock? There remains an unanswered question regarding the purpose of monumental Stonehenge. Archaeologists have come up with one or more identifying value of Stonehenge. The concrete findings were that Stonehenge was actually both a ritual site and an astronomical clock, which would indicate annually occurring solstices, equinoxes and lunar days representing various ritual festivals and celebrations.

5. what we see today is Just a part of actual stonehenge The major part of ancient Stonehenge has fallen down over periods, we are able to see only the part structure of it on present day. Since its construction in 31 st century BC till 16 th century BC, the Stonehenge structure was repeatedly reconstructed beginning from the diameter of 110 meters. About 6 Stonehenge circles were added to the initial one during the course. Visitors today know Stonehenge by observing a part of it. It is believed that almost half of the structure has disappeared from or fallen apart in the site.

4. stonehenge has a healing aura Stonehenge is certainly famous for its celebrated ancient religious values and other impressive dimensions of archaeology and architecture. People believe that Stonehenge has a healing atmosphere in its sacred landscape. People far from around the world come to the sanctified site of Stonehenge to purify them and to treat their physical injuries or illness.

3. stonehenge has been featured in numbers of movies There are many movies based on or featuring ancient monumental structures. The films are: King Lear (1971), This Is Spinal Tap (1984), National Lampoon’s European Vacation (1985), Tess of the D’Urbervilles (2008), “Doctor Who” The Pandorica Opens (2010), Stonehenge Apocalypse (2010) and many more to mention. In these films and TV series, some of the best of the legendary aspects of Stonehenge have been interestingly depicted, which are worth watching.

2. michael Johnson ran around stonehenge with the olympic torch in 2012 olympics torch relay During the 2012 Olympics Torch Relay Michael Johnson, the American sprinter, was carrying the Olympic flame on a dawn procession to Stonehenge. The event was a ‘magic moment’ for Johnson, and the ancient Stonehenge site was turned to ‘glowing fairytale environment’.

1. destructive road-building scheme threat to stonehenge Most of the World Heritage Sites around the world are always facing possible urban or some sort of developmental plan threats. The British Government’s Department of Transport proposed new road-building scheme during 2000’s that would damage the landscape of Stonehenge. The Department of Transport was planning to widen a highway running close to the Stonehenge site. Such type of plan would have major ecological impacts, damage to archaeological remains and also to the local community. Several activists, researchers and concerned institutions united to stop the destructible action and finally they became successful.

The monument and its environs were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1986.

Thanks for your attention! WEB links: ► https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Stonehenge