Researchers propose that Stonehenge functions as a colossal solar calendar, bridging the UK to ancient Egypt, according to Professor Timothy Darvill from Bournemouth University. He suggests that the site, crafted around a solar year of 365.25 days, served as a tool for tracking time, with weeks comprising ten days and a different monthly structure than today’s.

This solar calendar, developed in the eastern Mediterranean after 3000 BC and later adopted by Egypt around 2700 BC, possibly influenced Stonehenge’s design. Aligned with the summer and winter solstices, the site’s layout suggests its calendrical purpose.

Darvill’s analysis reveals a straightforward calendar system. The outer ring of 30 sarsen stones, erected around 2500 BC, represents the days of the month, divided into three weeks of ten days each. Each week starts at a marked stone, with leap days accounted for by four station stones outside the circle.

To synchronize with the solar year, a five-day month was added, symbolized by the five trilithons at the center. These trilithons, consisting of two vertical stones supporting a horizontal one, serve as markers for the additional month.

Stonehenge’s alignment with the sun enables easy detection of any discrepancies in day counting during solstices, reinforcing its role as a functional calendar.