Stonehenge Up Close

More than 4,000 years ago, prehistoric people started to build something amazing. They lived in an area that is part of England today. The builders did not have metal tools. They also didn’t have horses or wheels. But somehow, they gathered huge stones. Each stone weighed 20 tons! The builders arranged the stones vertically in a circle. Then they dragged more stone blocks across 175 miles. These blocks weighed 2 tons each. The builders added them to the circle. No one knows why they did it! Today, we call this stone circle Stonehenge.

Martin Edström is a photographer. He recently worked with National Geographic to capture Stonehenge in augmented reality, or AR. Now people around the world can use an app on their phone to see the site up close in 3-D. It’s like a digital tour!

“Stonehenge is one of those iconic places that almost everyone has heard of,” Edström says. “When I got asked to capture it in 3-D, I couldn’t have been more excited.”

Stonehenge has three main features. The oldest is a large circular ditch and several pits called Aubrey holes. The holes may have once held wooden posts or stones.

Next were the sarsen stones. Each of these giants weigh as much as four African elephants! Builders arranged the stones in circles and arches that line up with the summer and winter solstices. That means they frame the sun as it rises on the first day of summer and as it sets on the first day of winter each year.

Builders added bluestones last. These smaller stones weigh 2 to 4 tons each. They were arranged in an oval inside the sarsens. People rearranged the bluestones from time to time during the centuries Stonehenge was used.

Why did these ancient Stone Age people go to such lengths? They left no written language, art, or explanation behind. The purpose of Stonehenge is one of the site’s great mysteries.

Next are the sarsen stones. Each of these giant stones weighs as much as four African elephants! The ancient builders arranged the stones in circles and arches. These shapes line up with the summer and winter solstices. That means they frame the sun as it rises on the first day of summer and as it sets on the first day of winter each year.

The builders added bluestones last. These smaller stones weigh 2 to 4 tons each. They are arranged in an oval inside the sarsens. The prehistoric people sometimes moved the bluestones around during the centuries Stonehenge was used.

Why did these ancient people work so hard to build Stonehenge? They left no written language or art behind. The purpose of Stonehenge is one of the site’s great mysteries.

Working at one of the most well-known prehistoric sites in human history left an impact on Edström. “The most interesting thing is probably the size and scale of the boulders as you walk among them,” Edström says. “It must have been an absolutely mind-boggling process to transport them there and to raise them several thousand years ago.”

National Geographic has brought its 3-D model to millions of people, who can now explore Stonehenge in their living rooms by using AR.

So far, the project has received great feedback. “I’ve been so happy to see the response online to this ancient site,” says Edström. “In one way, it’s just a bunch of boulders. But this story shows that it’s so much more.”

Working at one of the most well-known prehistoric sites in human history left an impact on Edström. “The most interesting thing is probably the size and scale of the boulders as you walk among them,” Edström says. “It must have been an absolutely mind-boggling process to transport them there and to raise them several thousand years ago.”

National Geographic has brought its 3-D model to millions of people. Everyone can now use AR to explore Stonehenge in their living rooms.

The project has received great feedback. “I’ve been so happy to see the response online to this ancient site,” says Edström. “In one way, it’s just a bunch of boulders. But this story shows that it’s so much more.”