Stonehenge: astronomical alignment or just clever Bronze Age people?

I've just read about three different theories on why Stonehenge was built, and they all sound completely plausible. One book reckons it's aligned to the summer solstice (which, okay, fair enough), another says it was for healing rituals, and a third guy claims it's connected to some lost civilisation with advanced knowledge.

Here's my problem: are we crediting the ancient Britons with actual engineering skill and astronomical knowledge, or are we saying 'aliens' every time something seems too clever for our ancestors? Because honestly, the more I read, the less sure I am about what's actually been proven versus what's just... vibes.

What's the consensus on here? Are we talking genuine neolithic architects, or is there something genuinely unexplained?

The alignment stuff is absolutely proven - the solstice alignment is real and measurable. The healing bit? No archaeological evidence whatsoever. The 'lost civilisation' angle is pure speculation. Our ancestors were incredibly intelligent. They didn't need magic or aliens to work out that the sun rises in specific places at specific times. They had more patience than us and better night vision.

are we crediting the ancient Britons with actual engineering skill and astronomical knowledge, or are we saying 'aliens' every time something seems too clever for our ancestors?

Why does this have to be either/or? Yes, they had engineering skill. Yes, they had astronomical knowledge. But that doesn't mean there aren't still unexplained elements. The precision of some of the stone placement is still debated amongst actual archaeologists. Not aliens, but possibly knowledge we haven't fully understood yet.

People underestimate what you can do with basic tools, time, and enough manpower. Move some massive rocks? Totally doable. Align them to celestial events? That's just observation and maths. The real mystery isn't how they built it - it's why. And 'why' is harder to prove than 'how'.

Read Aubrey Burl if you want actual scholarship on this. The astronomical alignment is real but probably less significant than we think. It was likely a multi-purpose site - ritual, yes, but also community gathering, territorial marker, etc. Sorry if that's boring compared to ancient alien astronaut theorists suggesting...