Stonehenge

I particularly like the theories expressed by Mike Parker Pearson who sees the various monuments in the Stonehenge landscape linked together. Having approached the stones via the avenue it's very difficult to think that the spectacle was not deliberate.
The alignment with the midwinter solstice seems convincing especially as throughout history the time of the days getting longer has frequently been a point of celebration.
However, although the area shows signs of development across a considerable period of time there is little evidence to show that the people who were using it at this time in it's history had the same concept of ritual and importance that those in the Mesolithic had. The farmers of the Neolithic would have had a very different set of priorities to them but the spectacular landscape would have attracted them all. It seems likely that as each group enhanced the area with monuments that the next would adapt the area into their own beliefs and ritual needs. Over time, the area would have become as complex as we see it today and it seems fitting that in it's later years it became as much a symbol of wealth and power and a place to bury their dead.