Stonehenge, a Neolithic marvel on Salisbury Plain, has long fascinated archaeologists and historians. Its massive stones align with the solstices, suggesting a deep awareness of both geography and astronomy. To the builders, the landscape itself was part of a sacred map — rivers, burial mounds, and avenues connected the monument to a wider ceremonial world.
Ancient people lacked globes, but they did not lack a sense of place. Geography was written in the land and sky: the rising of the midsummer sun, the path of the moon, the seasonal cycle of farming. Modern globes help us rediscover this worldview by placing Stonehenge in its global context. We can see how similar monuments — from Newgrange in Ireland to the pyramids of Egypt — reflect humankind’s universal quest to understand the heavens and their relation to Earth.
By studying Stonehenge through the lens of geography, students learn that maps and globes are not just about physical features, but about how cultures perceive their world. Ancient monuments remind us that geography is both science and story.
