The earliest artwork depicting the neolithic monument known as Stonehenge stretches back to the years 1573-1575, painted by Lucas de Heere. It shows the state of the ancient standing stones prior to the collapse of the trilithon and three large stones in 1797. Over thousands of years, erosion, water, wind and hard freezes weakened many of the stones, eroding some away, cracking and fracturing others. All in all, the monument has stood the test of time, but it's estimated that around 40% of the stones are missing. They may have been looted and repurposed as building materials, but it's also possible that the monument was never fully completed to begin with. Restoration did not begin until the 1900s and the current layout of Stonehenge is an estimate based on the available evidence collected, including from a survey conducted in 1740 by John Wood. The current arrangement may not perfectly reflect the original arrangement of the stones.
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