The Summer Solstice at Stonehenge
The ancient monument of Stonehenge is one of the most famous symbols of Britain. It is situated on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, a couple of hours' drive from London going towards Wales. An outer ring of vertical sarsen stones are topped by connecting lintel stones. Inside the monument is a ring of smaller bluestones, inside which are free-standing trilithons. The landscape surrounding Stonehenge is rich in Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments, including burial mounds that are visible from the monument itself. Though the monument has long been in a ruined state, it is still possible to tell that it was built to align with the solstices - both winter and summer. In summer, it is aligned towards the sunrise: the sun rises behind the Heel Stone in the north east, its rays shining into the centre of the monument. We don't know exactly what people did at Stonehenge at the Solstice, but we know this time was considered important: unsurprisingly, when people had to live their ...