What is Stonehenge?

About Stonehenge:

• It is a prehistoric stone circle monument and archaeological site located in Wiltshire, England.
• It is comprised of roughly 100 massive upright stones placed in a circular layout.
• It was built in several stages:
  • The first monument was an early henge monument, built about 5,000 years ago, and the unique stone circle was erected in the late Neolithic period, about 2500 BC.
  • In the early Bronze Age, many burial mounds were built nearby.
• Purpose:
  • Though there is no definite evidence as to the intended purpose of Stonehenge, it was presumably a religious site and an expression of the power and wealth of the chieftains, aristocrats, and priests who had it built.
  • It is just one part of a larger sacred landscape that contained many other stone and wooden structures, as well as burials. 
  • It was aligned with the Sun and possibly used for observing the Sun and Moonand working out the farming calendar.

Along with more than 350 nearby monuments and henges (ancient earthworks consisting of a circular bank and ditch), including the kindred temple complex at Avebury, Stonehenge was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986.

Q1: What is a UNESCO World Heritage Site?

A World Heritage Site (WHS) is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by UNESCO under the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, established in 1972. These sites are designated by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, scientific or other forms of significance.

Source: Indian-origin man among 2 arrested for spraying Stonehenge orange