Description
Stonehenge is a Neolithic monument located near the town of Amesbury in Wiltshire, England, approximately eight miles northwest of Salisbury on Salisbury Plain. The most recent dating for Stonehenge's construction dates to 2300 BC, 300 years later than previously thought. The monument consists of an earthen mound surrounding a circular arrangement of large, rudimentarily worked standing stones and is one of the most famous prehistoric sites on earth. Although the word "henge" is part of the name, it is not a true henge. The structure and its surroundings were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1986, along with the Avebury henge monument, under the designation "Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites." It is also a legally protected ancient structure by the British government. Stonehenge itself is owned by the Crown and managed by English Heritage. The surrounding lands are owned by the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest, commonly known in the United Kingdom as the National Trust.
