heel stone

E276875

The Heel Stone is a large, solitary sarsen boulder located just outside the main Stonehenge circle, aligned with the monument’s principal axis and associated with its midsummer sunrise sightline.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
heel stone canonical 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (45)

Predicate Object
instanceOf megalith
prehistoric monument component
sarsen stone
ageEstimate over 4,000 years old
alignedWith midsummer sunrise at Stonehenge
principal axis of Stonehenge
archaeologicalInvestigation subject of multiple surveys and excavations
associatedEvent midsummer solstice sunrise observations
associatedWith West Kennet Avenue
surface form: Stonehenge Avenue
buriedDepth about 1.2 meters
category archaeological site feature
prehistoric standing stone
country United Kingdom
culturalPeriod Early Bronze Age
Neolithic
distanceFrom about 77 meters from Stonehenge center
estimatedOriginalHeight about 6 to 7 meters
functionHypothesis astronomical marker
ceremonial marker
hasCoordinateType geographic coordinates (latitude and longitude)
height about 4.7 meters above ground
heritageDesignation part of Stonehenge Scheduled Monument
locatedIn England
Stonehenge
surface form: Stonehenge World Heritage Site

United Kingdom
Wiltshire
managedBy English Heritage
material sarsen sandstone
nameEtymology possibly from ‘hele’ meaning to conceal or ‘heel’ meaning to lean
near former positions of companion stones
orientation leaning toward the stone circle
ownedBy Crown Estate
surface form: The Crown Estate
partOf Stonehenge
Stonehenge alignment with solstitial sunrises
Stonehenge
surface form: Stonehenge entrance arrangement
positionRelativeTo northeast of Stonehenge stone circle
outside main Stonehenge stone circle
shape irregular monolith
surfaceFeature deep weathering grooves
pitted and flaked exterior
touristAttraction yes
transportHypothesis moved from Marlborough Downs sarsen source area
visibleFrom Stonehenge Avenue
Stonehenge inner circle
worldHeritageSite Stonehenge
surface form: Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Stonehenge hasPart heel stone