ABSTRACT
As early tribes settled into more permanent homes, their architecture became more permanent as well, eventually leading to the presence of stone circles that still stand today. The construction of the two rings of blue stone was one of the more labor-intensive stages of Stonehenge's creation, because these stones probably came from the Welsh mountains, over 200 miles from the Salisbury Plain. The summer solstice sunrise occurs right over the Heel Stone, which is thought to have been intentionally aligned by Stonehenge's creators. Another important stone circle is at Avebury about 20 miles from Stonehenge. Though it attracts less attention than Stonehenge, it is both larger and older than its famous neighbor. The core architecture beneath the earthen mound of a barrow was usually a dolmen. This is a structure made of at least three megalithic stones, with a flatter stone called a capstone placed on top to form a roof.
