4000 years ago someone had an idea.

One of our last stops on this trip was Stonehenge. I had seen these amazing standing stones once before, several years ago.  You still can't actually walk in among the stones (I would love to do that) but it seemed to me that we were allowed to walk much closer to the stones than I remember before. It's a very moving sight.

The stones were set in place over 4000 years ago (2000 years before the Druids who may have used the site but didn't build it), about the same time that the Egyptian and South American pyramids were being built, so some people theorize that all of these massive constructions were created, or at least inspired, by aliens. 

Theories (other than the alien one) range from uses as a burial site, (they have found burnt remains), an observatory, a gathering place, a memorial to the dead and more. There are remains of large avenues leading into the stones from miles away. My theory? It was a multi-use facility where people gathered to observe the solstices but also to shop, trade, celebrate festivals, worship and generally spend time with each other.  If I built something this fine i would want to use it all the time.

We marvel that our early ancestors hauled these huge stones from miles away, shaped them slowly with stone axes and carefully set them in place. Think of the time and labor involved, but then there wasn't a lot else to do.  It gave them something to occupy their time whe they weren't hunting or gathering.

In the museum area they showed this (fake) stone on a sled with log rollers. This is how they think the stones were moved with up to a hundred men pulling on ropes to move the stones along while others would grab the rollers from the back and move them to the front as they rolled along..  No small feat when you consider they moved them 30+ miles.  I could tell this was a fake stone because from one angle you could see a solar panel on the top of the stone.

These modest little huts are a recreation of the types of homes the workers would have lived in. Notice the thatched roofs here.  Later on our drive through the Cotswolds we saw several modern examples of thatched roofs which are really quite elaborate. I guess if you find an idea that works you might as well keep using it.