The guess is that it began as a burial site around 3,000 B.C. (or B.C.E., I guess). Scientists have found ancient bones in a circular pattern in that area. The big rocks showed up a few hundred years later. Some sort of calendar probably was needed for farming, since both solstices are noted by their position in the sky at those times. Other portions were put together by 1500 B.C. As for how the rocks got transported and placed at Stonehenge, well, that's a good question.
No matter what the origins are, everyone has been fascinated by the idea of these rocks that are located in a rural area. What you see today is not what you would have seen 3,500 years ago. Nature has taken a toll on the layout, as have tourists who wanted a personal souvenir when they could get up close to it. Now no one is allowed to cross a circular line around the complex. It's still somewhat awe-inspiring to see it from a distance, and it's understandable why we can't touch it.
A million people see it every year, including 30,000 on the summer solstice. By the way, the angle is marked on the ground as a reference for those turning up on other days. A good-sized visitors center serves as a starting and ending point for visits. There is a small museum and a good-sized gift shop, plus a shuttle bus takes visitors from the center to Stonehenge.
There are other sites around the world in which the movement of the sun through the sky is traced, but this is the grand-daddy of them.
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