This past Saturday, I went on a day trip to Stonehenge and Avebury.
Avebury is a town in Wiltshire county and is famous for a circular arrangement of large stones, almost one mile in diameter, build around 4,500 years ago. There are also two smaller circles within the large one and a large ditch around the entire circle. This prehistoric site is much bigger than similar ones in the area. In fact, some of the stones weight up to 60 tons. It is speculated the the stones were moved by rolling them on logs and the ditch was dug using animal antlers. The precise purpose of this stone arrangement is unknown, but could have been built in a astronomical alignment, for the worship of ancestors, etc. Our tour guide told us that when a couple got married, the man and the woman would run around the the circle is opposite directions and when the ran into each other they would be tied together, hence the well know term "tying the knot."
Stonehenge is another rather famous ancient structured completed about 3,500 years ago. It is quite interesting to travel to because it is located in what seems like the middle of nowhere in a pasture with sheep grazing. However, there is a little parking lot where bus loads of people unload to see the beautiful remains and stand in awe of the position of such large stones. There are also theories regarding Stonehenge, some quite intense. The stones line up with the sun rise of the solstice, so could have been used as a time keeping device, but have also been speculated to be built by wizards and aliens.
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