History

At a time when much of the rest of southern England was largely covered by woodland, the chalk downland in the area of Stonehenge may have been an unusually open landscape in the Mesolithic period. It is possible that this open area was significant to prehistoric people and this is why it later became the site of a monument complex.

Recent excavations and geophysical surveys have suggested the possible importance of geological features called periglacial stripes.They run parallel to the banks of the avenue and across the site of Stonehenge and align in places on the solstice axis. It is possible that these geological stripes may have been visible on the ground in early prehistory and could have led prehistoric people to believe that this was a special place.