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Reconstruction drawing of Stonehenge Phase 3a (The Blue Stones) by Ivan Lapper	© English Heritage
Stonehenge Phase IIIa: first stone monument made of blue stones from Wales
   
Photo of Stonehenge by © Keith Kellet Reconstruction drawing of Stonehenge Phase 1 by Ivan Lapper © English Heritage Reconstruction drawing of Stonehenge Phase 2 by Ivan Lapper © English Heritage The trilithons are one the most striking features of Stonehenge © English Heritage
Reconstruction drawing of Stonehenge Phase 3a (The Blue Stones) by Ivan Lapper	© English Heritage Reconstruction drawing of Stonehenge Phase 3b (The Sarson Stone Circle) by Ivan Lapper © English Heritage Reconstruction drawing of Stonehenge Phase 3c (Rearrangement of the Blue Stones) by Ivan Lapper © English Heritage Photo of Stonehenge at Solstice 2003 Photo by Peter Carson © English Heritage
Stonehenge - Phase IIIa: The Blue Stones Crescent

In about 2600BC, 80 blue stones were transported from the Preseli Mountains in South Wales, some 385km (240 miles) away and erected inside the earthen bank of the henge in a double crescent setting.

Moving this quantity of stone over such a long distance would have been a considerable undertaking. It is still unclear why these particular stones were deemed to be so special.