The nomads of the Salisbury Plains built Stonehenge, it's now believed. Initially they thought it was the Druids. Construction first started around 3500 years BC.

First, they created a massive circular ditch and mound with 56 holes that formed a ring around the perimeter. The first stone to be erected was called Heel Stone. It was placed just outside the entrance to the site.

Then, around 200 years later, they somehow managed to transport 80 blocks of bluestone from a quarry that was almost 200 miles away in the Prescelly Mountains. Some of these stones weighed as much as 26 tonnes! It still remains a mystery how a supposedly primitive people managed to achieve such an epic task.

One theory is that they transported the blocks on rafts along the Welsh coast and up local rivers. Then they managed to drag them overland to the site.

First, the stones were arranged into two concentric circles. Then, at some point, this construction was dismantled and the final phase of construction began. The bluestones were moved within the circle and the gigantic stones that give Stonehenge its distinctive look were installed. This is the structure that we still see today.

The reason why Stonehenge was built still remains a mystery. Popular speculation is that it was a kind of astronomical calendar (a headstone is oriented toward the summer solstice). Another sound theory is Stonehenge was used for religious ceremonies.

The landscape surrounding Stonehenge is also fascinating. It contains huge prehistoric monuments that stretch over several kilometers. Check out the Avenue and the Cursus, Durrington Walls (massive earthwork enclosures) and the North Kite, along with the hundreds of burial mounds.