Researchers believe Stonehenge was used as a solar calendar.
If you've ever wondered how Stonehenge came to be or the significance behind the marvel, wonder no more. The mystery has finally been solved!
Researchers have recently concluded that the site was created as a solar calendar. Based on a solar year of 365.25 days, the site helped keep track of days, weeks, and months. For reference, the Gregorian calendar is used in many portions of the world today and consists of 365 days, with a leap day every four years to account for the quarter of a day.
"Scholars have long seen in the monumental composition of Stonehenge evidence for prehistoric time reckoning— a Neolithic calendar," wrote Professor Timothy Darvill, from Bournemouth University, in the journal Antiquity.
"Such a solar calendar was developed in the eastern Mediterranean in the centuries after 3000 BC and was adopted in Egypt as the Civil Calendar around 2700 BC and was widely used at the start of the Old Kingdom about 2600 BC," added Darvill.
Now, here's how the Stonehenge calendar worked, according to Darvill and his team:
Courtesy of Timothy Darvill (via journal Antiquity)
"The proposed calendar works in a very straightforward way. Each of the 30 stones in the sarsen circle represents a day within a month, itself divided into three weeks each of 10 days," wrote Darvill.
What do you think of the mystery behind Stonehenge finally being solved? Share your thoughts in the comments below.