Stonehenge



Cost:1/2/2/1

+1 happy face, +1 culture

For each stage of Stonehenge you build, immediately score science equal to that stage's cost.

Stonehenge in History
In the Southern English countryside, where enchanted forests give way to verdant lush meadows, stands an enigmatic structure made of giant stone monoliths. Now a tourist place, and one of the best-known visitor’s sites on the planet, the Stonehenge stone circle has been around for quite a while.

The stone slabs are arranged in concentric circles, and in the middle is kind of an incomplete circle of stones, along with which seem to be a ceremonial altar. Indeed, the historians are pretty sure the site has been used in the past for ritual purposes by the native Celtic cultures...and also later cultures. Even today, pagan communities hold annual meetings here to celebrate Equinoxes and Solstices.

The funny thing about the blocks is, they are MASSIVE. It would be difficult to get megaliths this size anywhere at all even today, and it must have been a whole lot more difficult back when it was built, some 5000 years ago. There are stones here that have definitely been transported at least 200 miles. Maybe the old legends are true, and the stone circle was really built by the wizard Merlin!

Designer's Note
It is not hard to believe the Stonehenge had great meaning within the ancient knowledge. It sure required significant amount of know-how to build it, both in terms of construction methods and astronomy, and in society with no writing, it probably also helped to preserve the knowledge.

However, its science effect is tied to its time period. It does not affect your science rating, it just gives you some extra science. It is up to you whether you remodel it into true scientific research, better mining technologies, advanced military, more efficient form of government, or whether you let the knowledge to disappear during the Dark Ages.

Initially, we supposed the extra science will be the only effect of Stonehenge. The reason it had to get also some permanent effect is that it was too advantageous with Ravages of Time – if you have a wonder that no longer does anything, it is an easy choice and you are benefiting from the event while the other civilizations suffer from it. So, imagine people didn’t forget, and the Stonehenge partially fulfills its religious or healing function even through the later ages. Until Ravages of Time gets it, as it is still a good fodder for that event. But that’s ok, having a circle of partially crumbled stones on your territory is good for tourism, as the British would sure confirm.