ens. "The fact that it was built over a long period of time makes is difficult to know if it maintained the same function over the time period or not"(Witcombe 34.) But this does not mean there aren't a number of theories that set out to explain Stonehenge's purpose. Eighteenth century British antiquarian, William Stukeley, was one of the first people to report seeing the event of the sunrise on a special day in June. This led him to believe that Stonehenge was a temple, possibly an ancient cult center for the Druids. Although this theory is not as popular now, the religious aspect attributed to Stonehenge has influenced how it has come to be understood, even today. Others, like 20th century British astronomer, Sir Norman Lockyer, also saw Stonehenge as a temple, but a temple to the sun. For him, its significance lay in celebrations of ancient Celtic festivals. But to see Stonehenge as a temple, or retaining a religious quality may just be an assumption. It is a structure that clearly does not resemble a house or hall or anything else secular, which could indicate that it is sacred, according to Witcombe."These people may have wanted to be buried close to Stonehenge, which could reinforce a spiritual aspect, a concern for life after death"(Hawkins 68.)In the middle of the 20th century, a new theory was born, one that suggests that Stonehenge could have been used as an astronomical calendar, marking lunar and solar alignments. There are four stones, called "Station Stones" that may have played an astronomical role. These were placed in a rectangle around the main monument, within the ditch and bank that surrounds the circle of stones. These are believed to point out the moonrise, moonset, sunrise and sunset. ...
