Stonehenge was built on Salisbury Plain in southern England about 4500 years ago. It consists of two circles originally of more than 100 standing stones. One circle lies inside the other. Large capping stones, called lintels, rest on top of the standing stones. Surrounding the stone circles is a circular ditch with banks made of earth. Many of the stones at Stonehenge still stand today.

A circular henge

In about 3100 BC, a circular ditch with both an inner and outer bank made of earth, was dug. It enclosed an area measuring about 100 metres (330 feet) across. This sacred site was called a henge. Here, people buried the ashes of family members who had been cremated after they had died.

Sarsens

Ten of the largest sarsens, measuring between 6 and 7.5 metres (20–25 feet) high and weighing up to 50 tonnes each, were arranged in a horseshoe shape. They were capped by lintel stones, each one resting across a pair of sarsens.

This inner arc was surrounded by an outer circle of 30 smaller sarsens. These were also capped by lintels, and formed a continuous ring.

Bluestones

A circle of bluestones were erected between the horseshoe and outer circle. Another arc of bluestones were placed inside the sarsen horseshoe. The bluestones were not quarried locally; they were brought all the way from the Preseli Mountains in Pembrokeshire in southwest Wales. It is not known how these heavy stones were transported over such a long distance.

It is possible that Stonehenge served as a gigantic calendar. The sun rises above a stone outside the main stone circle, the Heel Stone, at the summer solstice. The first rays shine directly into the horseshoe-shaped group of sarsen stones at the centre. By noting the day when this happens, a record of the days passing through the year could be made. This knowledge was important for ancient people to help them know exactly when to sow their crops.

People had begun to farm in Britain around 4500 BC. The first farmers cut down trees in the forests to make space for pasture. Their sheep, goats, cattle and pigs could graze here. Farmers also grew wheat and barley, and gathered fruit. People who lived at this time built simple stone or wooden houses. They made tools out of flint, wove reeds into baskets and used clay to shape into pots.