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Experience the Magic of Stonehenge
By: Seb Jay
Seeing Stonehenge appear from out behind the undulating greenery of Salisbury Plain can quite take you by surprise. Like a mirage rising up before you, the first few seconds in which you fix your gaze upon the 4300 year old standing stones you can find yourself questioning whether what you see in front of you is real or imagined. A few road crests further in and you are left in no doubt as to what you see, the circular arrangement of gigantic stones now dominating the skyline.
Stonehenge in Southwest England is a one of a kind. Amazingly, there is no configuration of standing stones anywhere on Earth that comes even close enough to be comparable to Stonehenge, its enormity and its complexity. Perhaps even more difficult to comprehend is the fact that Stonehenge today is only half its original size, many of the stones having been taken from the site down the centuries. But to trace the full history of this popular attraction, we have to delve even further back in time to a point some 5100 years ago when the original 'wooden' henge occupied this site.
In the beginning
Stonehenge began life in 3100 BC as a circular ditch and bank around which wooden posts were driven into the ground. This much archaeologists know from excavations of the site where abandoned animal bones used as tools to move earth in the construction of the ditch have been found and dated. Fifty-six postholes discovered on the site in the 17th century provide evidence for the wooden posts that would have originally formed a woodhenge here.
The characteristic bluestones first appeared on the Stonehenge site in 2500 BC. Some of these stones weigh in excess of 45 tons and were transported more than 50km from South Wales to Stonehenge. How this was done is a matter for some debate, but regardless of the mode of transport it was a massive undertaking for the people of the day.
The present arrangement of stones at Stonehenge took shape in 2300 BC. At double the size it can only be described as the greatest piece of stone construction ever to be realized by the prehistoric people of Britain. The effort required to place these mammoth stones in a standing position is a real feat of engineering that can only be appreciated once you walk the site.
Getting to Stonehenge
Stonehenge is located off the main London to Southwest England A303 autoroute. The site itself can be found a little way off the A344 road that splits northwards from the main route to the north of Salisbury in Wiltshire, Southwest England. From London's Gatwick and Heathrow airports it is little more than an hour and a half's drive away. Car hire can be booked in advance for pick up from Gatwick or Heathrow by visiting http://www.your-carhire.com
About the author:
Seb Jay is a freelance writer specializing in the origination of web content for http://www.your-carhire.com
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