CITIES & LANDMARKS LEGENDARY STONEHENGE WARM UP PAIR WORK Conosci questi monumenti e dove si trovano? A coppie, cercate su internet foto di altri cinque landmark famosi e moderni e proponeteli ai vostri compagni. One of England’s most famous monuments is Stonehenge, a prehistoric monument on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, which became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986. Historians think that it was built over about 1,500 years, but we still don’t know for sure what its use was. Building Stonehenge Stonehenge has a structure of about 100 huge stones placed in a circular form. It was built in three stages: : builders dug a circular ditch using animal horns . First stage (about 4,000 BC) : builders added 82 stones in a double circle pattern . These "bluestones", which look blue when they are wet, are about 2 metres high and 1 metre thick and each weighs between two and five tons. Second stage (about 3,000 BC) : "sarsen stones" (made of hard rock created from sand) were added . They were seven metres high with a weight of about 25 tons each. Builders created an outer circle, and some stones were put horizontally on the top. In the middle of the circle more stones were placed in a horseshoe shape and at the centre there was a stone called "the altar stone". Third stage (about 2,500 BC) One of its stones looks red when it is wet because it contains iron, for this reason it is called the "Slaughter" Stone. What was its use? There are some interesting theories about the function of Stonehenge: A for the study of the stars; calendar A , where sick people thought they could be cured; place of healing A of the sun or moon gods; temple A , where experts believe that about 200 people are buried . cemetery Summer solstice In Britain, the most famous Summer Solstice celebration (21 June) for the longest day of the year takes place at Stonehenge. On that day, the sun rises behind the ancient entrance to the circle, and rays of sunlight hit the centre of the monument. People go there to celebrate the changing seasons with rituals and ceremonies to honour the sun and nature. st