The construction of the Stonehenge was a result of great engineering skills and impressive manual labor. In its first phase, it was a large earthwork; a bank and ditch arrangement called a henge, constructed approximately 5000 years ago. The ditch was dug with tools made of antlers of red deer and wood and the underlying chalk was loosened with picks and spades made of bones of cattle. Than it was carried away in baskets.
The Bluestones
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The first stone circle was set up about 2000 BC and was made of bluestones. Archeologists says that these stones are from the Prescelly Mountains, located something about 240 miles away, at the southwest of Wales. Each bluestone weighs up to 4 tons and about 80 stones were used in structure. And the most difficult problem was to transport it. It is said that they were dragged by roller and sledge from the inland mountains to the headwaters of Milford Haven. Then they were loaded onto rafts, barges and boats and sailed along the south coast of Wales, then up the Rivers Avon and Frome to a point near present-day Frome in Somerset. Then the stones were hauled overland to a place near Warminster in Wiltshire, approximately 6 miles away. From there, it's back into the pool for a slow float down the River Wylye to Salisbury, then up the Salisbury Avon to West Amesbury, leaving only a short 2 mile drag from West Amesbury to the Stonehenge.
Construction of the Outer Ring.
The outer ring consisted of sarsen stones which weigh is about 50 tons each. To transport them from the Marlborough Downs to the north, was far more greater problem than dragging the bluestones. Most part of the way stones were transported the same way as bluestones, but it was completely different when they reach Redhom Hill. Modern work studies estimate that at least 600 men would have been needed just to get each stone past this hill.
A sarsen stone was prepared to accommodate stone lintels along its top surface. It was then dragged until the end was over the opening of the hole. Great levers were put under the stone and it was raised until it slide into the hole. At this point, the stone stood on about a 30° angle from the ground. Ropes were attached to the top and teams of men pulled from the other side to raise it into the full upright position. It was secured by filling the hole at its base with small, round packing stones. At this point, the lintels were lowered into place and secured vertically by mortice and tenon joints and horizontally by tongue and groove joints. Stonehenge was probably finally completed around 1500 BC.
This is the film Who Built Stonehenge from National Geographic's Naked Science series. It talks about the theories concerning the construction of Stonehenge.
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