What is a trilithon at Stonehenge?

Two upright stones topped by a horizontal stone

Stonehenge Quiz: Mysteries of England's Ancient Stones

This Stonehenge quiz explores the prehistoric monument on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, from its sarsen stones and the bluestones carried from Wales to the summer solstice sunrise, the nearby village at Durrington Walls, the Altar Stone's Scottish origin and the many theories about its purpose.

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🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 90 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 90s

Location
In which English county is Stonehenge?
Age
When was the first stage of Stonehenge, a circular ditch and bank, built?
Stones
The smaller bluestones at Stonehenge were brought from which region, about 240 kilometers away?
Stones
What are the huge local stones that form Stonehenge's outer circle and trilithons called?
Sun
Stonehenge is aligned with the sunrise on which day?
Discovery
In 2024, scientists found that the Altar Stone at the center of Stonehenge came from where?
Nearby
Which large Neolithic settlement nearby may have housed the builders of Stonehenge?
Design
What is a trilithon at Stonehenge?
Recognition
Stonehenge shares a UNESCO World Heritage listing with which other stone circle?
Myths
Which group is often wrongly said to have built Stonehenge?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: In which English county is Stonehenge?
Answer: Wiltshire
Stonehenge stands on Salisbury Plain, about 13 kilometers north of the city of Salisbury, in a landscape full of ancient monuments.
Q2: When was the first stage of Stonehenge, a circular ditch and bank, built?
Answer: About 3000 BC
The large sarsen stones were raised around 2500 BC, during the Neolithic period, long before the Romans or Druids.
Q3: The smaller bluestones at Stonehenge were brought from which region, about 240 kilometers away?
Answer: Wales
Many came from the Preseli Hills in Pembrokeshire. How people moved them remains one of the site's great puzzles.
Q4: What are the huge local stones that form Stonehenge's outer circle and trilithons called?
Answer: Sarsens
Most sarsens came from about 25 kilometers north, near Marlborough. Some weigh around 25 tonnes.
Q5: Stonehenge is aligned with the sunrise on which day?
Answer: The summer solstice
On the summer solstice, the sun rises near the Heel Stone. The site also aligns with the winter solstice sunset.
Q6: In 2024, scientists found that the Altar Stone at the center of Stonehenge came from where?
Answer: Northern Scotland
Its chemistry matches rocks in northeast Scotland, more than 700 kilometers away, making its journey even more surprising.
Q7: Which large Neolithic settlement nearby may have housed the builders of Stonehenge?
Answer: Durrington Walls
Archaeologists found remains of houses and huge feasts there, including pig bones from animals slaughtered in midwinter.
Q8: What is a trilithon at Stonehenge?
Answer: Two upright stones topped by a horizontal stone
The builders used woodworking joints, such as mortise and tenon, to lock the stones together.
Q9: Stonehenge shares a UNESCO World Heritage listing with which other stone circle?
Answer: Avebury
Avebury, also in Wiltshire, is the largest stone circle in Britain. Both were listed in 1986.
Q10: Which group is often wrongly said to have built Stonehenge?
Answer: The Druids
Stonehenge was built thousands of years before the Druids. Today, modern Druids and many others gather there at the solstices.

Stonehenge Quiz – The Puzzle of the Ancient Stones

Stonehenge is one of the most famous prehistoric monuments in the world. Standing on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, in southern England, its great ring of standing stones has puzzled people for centuries. Who built it, how the stones were moved and what it was used for are questions that archaeologists are still working to answer.

Stonehenge was built in stages over more than a thousand years. Around 3000 BC, people dug a circular ditch and bank. Around 2500 BC, they raised the huge sarsen stones, some weighing about 25 tonnes, and arranged them in a circle and horseshoe of trilithons. Smaller bluestones were brought all the way from the Preseli Hills in Wales.

The monument is aligned with the movements of the sun. On the summer solstice, the sun rises near the Heel Stone, and on the winter solstice it sets between the great stones. Many experts think Stonehenge was a ceremonial site linked to the seasons, ancestors and burial, and human remains have been found there. Nearby Durrington Walls may have housed its builders.

New discoveries keep changing the story. In 2024, scientists showed that the Altar Stone came from northern Scotland, hundreds of kilometers away. Stonehenge is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site that includes Avebury, and it attracts more than a million visitors a year, along with crowds who gather to celebrate the solstices.

This quiz covers the history, construction and mysteries of Stonehenge.

How the builders moved such enormous stones is still debated. Experiments suggest that teams of people could have dragged them on wooden sledges over tracks, possibly with rollers or greased timbers. The bluestones may have traveled partly by land and partly along rivers or the coast. Whatever the method, the effort required huge cooperation, planning and shared purpose among Neolithic communities.

What This Quiz Teaches

This quiz is perfect for history fans, mystery lovers and travelers exploring Britain.

Where Stonehenge is and how old it is
Where its stones came from
How it lines up with the sun
What recent discoveries revealed
Who lived and worked nearby
Common myths about its builders

Quick Facts About Stonehenge

Visitors usually view the stones from a path around the circle.
English Heritage manages the monument.
Some stones have graffiti carved by visitors over the centuries.
The surrounding landscape contains hundreds of burial mounds.
Stonehenge's builders had no metal tools or wheels for the heavy work.
A plan to build a road tunnel near the site has caused long debate.