THE GREATEST BUILDINGS AND STRUCTURES Buildings and structures are the places where we live sleep eat learn work and worship However many buildings and structures are more than just a place to rest our heads or something to be admired from a distance Buildings and structures are a symbol of what human beings can achieve They can also tell us a thousand stories Through their design and engineering buildings and structures can tell us much about the history and the culture of a place and its people Skyscraper 4 House Mosque
What is Stonehenge and what does it tell us about prehistoric Britain How were the ancient Egyptian pyramids built How long did it take to build the Great Wall of China What did the ancient Romans use the Colosseum for Why was the Tower of London built Why did King Louis XIV build the Palace of Versailles Why is it taking so long to finish building La Sagrada Família Is the Eiffel Tower the most famous structure in the world How tall is the Empire State Building Is the Golden Gate Bridge the most iconic bridge in the world Let’s go on a journey to find the answers to these questions and more How long did it take to build the Sydney Opera House How much did it cost to build How many world records does the Sydney Opera House the Burj Khalifa hold 5
STONEHENGE Stonehenge is a collection of large stones that were erected in several stages over 5,000 years ago in Wiltshire England Historians are still not sure why Stonehenge was built but some experts believe Stonehenge could have been used for religious ceremonies as a burial ground or for rituals to mark the changing of the seasons Stonehenge is made from two types of stones The smaller stones known as bluestones are a variety of stones not found in the area around Stonehenge The larger stones made from local sandstone are called sarsens The largest of the sarsen stones are 30 feet 9 m tall and weigh 25 tons 22 6 metric tons It has been determined that the builders of Stonehenge transported the bluestones over 236 miles 380 km from Wales The builders only had tools made from wood stone and rope so no one is entirely sure how they managed to transport the stones and build such a huge structure Stonehenge is made of two circles an inner circle built from bluestones and an outer circle built from sarsens 6
In 2013 archaeologists found buried at Stonehenge more than 50,000 human bones belonging to 63 different people Some of these bones are up to 5,000 years old This has led many experts to believe Stonehenge may have been built as a burial ground for ancient people The stones may be very early gravestones that mark the graves of members of the same family community or religious group Others believe the position of the stones is linked to the position of the Sun during the summer solstice or the longest day of the year and the winter solstice or the shortest day of the year People may have gathered at Stonehenge on these days for ceremonies The entrance to the circle faces the rising Sun on the summer solstice Stonehenge on the summer solstice 7
