Stonehenge巨石阵：

　　StonehengeisaprehistoricmonumentlocatedintheEnglishcountyofWiltshire,about3.2kilometres(2.0mi)westofAmesburyand13kilometres(8.1mi)northofSalisbury.Oneofthemostfamoussitesintheworld,StonehengeiscomposedofearthworkssurroundingacircularsettingoflargestandingstonesandsitsatthecentreofthedensestcomplexofNeolithicandBronzeAgemonumentsinEngland,includingseveralhundredburialmounds.[1]Archaeologistshadbelievedthattheiconicstonemonumentwaserectedaround2500BC,asdescribedinthechronologybelow.Howeveronerecenttheoryhassuggestedthatthefirststoneswerenoterecteduntil2400-2200BC,[2]whilstanothersuggeststhatbluestonesmayhavebeenerectedatthesiteasearlyas3000BC(seephase1below).Thesurroundingcircularearthbankandditch,whichconstitutetheearliestphaseofthemonument,havebeendatedtoabout3100BC.ThesiteanditssurroundingswereaddedtotheUNESCO'slistofWorldHeritageSitesin1986inaco-listingwithAveburyhengemonument,anditisalsoalegallyprotectedScheduledAncientMonument.StonehengeitselfisownedbytheCrownandmanagedbyEnglishHeritagewhilethesurroundinglandisownedbytheNationalTrust.[3][4]

　　NewarchaeologicalevidencefoundbytheStonehengeRiversideProjectindicatesthatStonehengeservedasaburialgroundfromitsearliestbeginnings.[5]Thedatingofcrematedremainsfoundonthesiteshowsthatburialstookplacethereasearlyas3000BC,whenthefirstditcheswerebeingconstructedaroundthemonument.BurialscontinuedatStonehengeforatleastanother500years.[6]

　　Etymology

　　TheOxfordEnglishDictionarycitesÆlfric's10thcenturyglossary,wherehenge-cliffisgiventhemeaning"precipice",ahangingorsupportedstone,thusthestanengesorStanheng("notfarfromSalisbury")recordedby11thcenturywritersare"supportedstones".WilliamStukeleyin1740notesthat"PendulousrocksarenowcalledhengesinYorkshire...Idoubtnot,StonehengeinSaxonsignifiesthehangingstones."[7]ChristopherChippindale'sStonehengeCompletegivesthederivationofthenameStonehengeascomingfromtheOldEnglishwords"stān"meaning"stone",andeither"hencg"meaning"hinge"(becausethestonelintelshingeontheuprightstones)or"hen(c)en"meaning"hang"or"gallows"or"instrumentoftorture".Medievalgallowsconsistedoftwouprightswithalinteljoiningthem,resemblingStonehenge'strilithons,ratherthanlookingliketheinvertedL-shapemorefamiliartoday.

　　The"henge"portionhasgivenitsnametoaclassofmonumentsknownashenges.[7]Archaeologistsdefinehengesasearthworksconsistingofacircularbankedenclosurewithaninternalditch.[8]Asoftenhappensinarchaeologicalterminology,thisisaholdoverfromantiquarianusage,andStonehengeisnottrulyahengesiteasitsbankisinsideitsditch.DespitebeingcontemporarywithtrueNeolithichengesandstonecircles,Stonehengeisinmanywaysatypical.Forexample,itsextanttrilithonsmakeitunique.StonehengeisonlydistantlyrelatedtotheotherstonecirclesintheBritishIsles,suchastheRingofBrodgar.[citationneeded]

　　History

　　PlanofStonehengein2004.AfterClealetal.andPitts.Italicisednumbersinthetextrefertothelabelsonthisplan.Trilithonlintelsomittedforclarity.Holesthatnolonger,ornever,contain