Standing stones, also called menhirs, are stones which have been set vertically into the ground. The stones tend 1 a rectangular shape and are thinner at the top than at the base. Some of them 2 in the shape of a circle, like the famous monument Stonehenge, while others stand in lines, horseshoes or alone. Stonehenge is by far the largest and most impressive stone circle, not only due to its size, but also because the stones were transported a huge distance to the site. 3 , there are plenty more stone circles to visit. In fact, approximately 1,300 of them are known 4 today in Britain and Ireland alone, and more in northwest France and other parts of the world.
The earliest standing stones are about 6000 years old, and people continued to erect them until about 3500 years ago. They must 5 an important purpose, but since the people at that time did not write, we know 6 the exact purposes nor the full details of these monuments. One might wonder how 7 ancient societies. It 8 that they were important religious sites and they also functioned as meeting places. At some sites, such as Stonehenge, the stones are positioned in relation to the sun, so they might also 9 as calendars. At Stonehenge, on the longest day of the year, the sun rises slightly to the left of the largest stone, which is called the Heel Stone, and the sun’s first rays shine right into the centre of the circle. In the past, there may have been a second stone next to the Heel Stone, with the sun rising between them. We know that people at that time 10 be farmers, so information about the changing seasons was extremely important because it allowed them to plan their planting and harvests.
