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There are problems with Stonehenge not just the age old problems of interpreting Europe's best known ancient site, but modern problems of security and overwhelming visitor numbers These mean that, at the time of writing, access to the Stonehenge themselves is forbidden Visitors must keep outside a fence that draws a wide circle around the monument There's an inadequate interpretive center, and the whole site is cut across by two fast, noisy roads All these difficulties are soon to be addressed, but, at present, the ambience is not ideal

None of this, however, should dissuade you from making a pilgrimage to this astonishing structure, whose impact must strike anyone with an ounce of imagination The doorwaylike silhouettes of Stonehenges great trilithons, outlined against the sky, are as challenging to the intellect as they have ever been, still provoking questions of when, how, and why

The "when" of this prehistoric monument has been reasonably accurately pinned down

An outer ring of 25 of these was set up, enclosing an inner horseshoe shape of five more trilithons Later on, some of the dismantled Stonehenge bluestones were erected again between the outer and inner trilithons, and the largest blue stone these days known as the Altar Stone was placed at the center of the horseshoe After about 1600 BC, no further alterations were carried out As for how Bronze Age men managed to transport, shape, and erect such enormous stones in particular the bluestones, which traveled 200 miles tremendous organization and disposition of manpower would have been needed But if the imperative was strong enough, Bronze Age leaders did wield enough authority, and the necessary technology of rafts, rollers, and levers was advanced enough to carry out what must have been decades worth of planning and effort

Which begs the question "why?" Once all the New Age theories have been set aside, all that is known for sure is that on Midsummer's Day (June 21) the sun, when viewed from the Altar Stone in the center of the Stonehenge structure, is seen to rise directly over the Heel Stone, 256 feet away at the far end of what now remains of an earth work avenue This ancient site may have, been some kind of observatory for seasonal timekeeping; but whether that was its only function No one can say

Reference: Extract from "The National Geographic Traveler - Great Britain" written by Christopher Somerville