What is the Heel Stone in Stonehenge?
The Heel Stone is a single large block of sarsen stone standing within the Avenue outside the entrance of the Stonehenge earthwork in Wiltshire, England. In section it is sub-rectangular, with a minimum thickness of 2.4 metres (7 ft 10 in), rising to a tapered top about 4.7 metres (15 ft) high.
What does the Heel Stone mark?
Traditionally, the HeelStone marks the place on the horizon where the summer solstice sunrise appears when viewed from the centre of the stone circle. Every year thousands of people gather to watch this event.
Where is the Slaughter Stone at Stonehenge?
The Slaughter Stone lies prone, midway between the central monument and the Heel Stone just east of the primary solstitial axis.
What are the upright stones at Stonehenge called?
At Stonehenge, the lintels are the horizontal stones that form the tops of the outer sarsen stone circle, and also those that rest on two upright stones forming each of the five central trilithons.
Where did the heel stone come from?
WHY IS THE HEEL STONE CALLED THE HEEL STONE? Its name may derive from a legend associated with Stonehenge that relates how the Devil threw a stone at a friar, leaving the friar’s heel imprint on it’ (its older name is ‘Friar’s Heel’).
How much does the Heel Stone at Stonehenge weigh?
about 30 tons
On average the sarsens weigh 25 tons, with the largest stone, the Heel Stone, weighing about 30 tons. Bluestone is the term used to refer to the smaller stones at Stonehenge.
Is Stonehenge aligned with the stars?
The purpose of Stonehenge is astronomical. It is carefully aligned so that, if one sits at the center, one has a clear view of the summer-solstice sun rising over the heel stone.
What Colour Stone is Stonehenge?
About 50 sarsen stones remain, but originally there may have been many more. The smaller Stonehenge stones, the bluestones, carry the most mystery because they are foreign to southern England. These four-ton bluestones, which take on a vaguely gray-blue color when wet, are for the most part igneous rocks.
What is the tallest stone at Stonehenge?
Stone 56
Stone 56. The tallest of the sarsens at Stonehenge, Stone 56 is the only remaining upright of the tallest trilithon at the head of the inner horseshoe.
Why is there a ditch around Stonehenge?
Until now, it has been supposed that the ditch surrounding Stonehenge I was nothing more than a dry, ugly quarry/ditch whose sole purpose was to supply material for the building of the surrounding bank.