What were the thoughts of the Celts, Romans and other ancient European people about the standing stones which survive from prehistoric times?

Question

All over Europe, there are monuments of stone such as stonehenge, although many are not so grand as stonehenge is. Contra *Asterix*, the Celts didn't carve out menhirs and things like that. The stones were already there by the time the Celtic culture came into being. In medieval times people linked them with Bible stories about the giants that used to roam the earth... says Wikipedia, anyhow. What did people think about them in ancient, historical times? Did the Romans have any thoughts on who built structures like stonehenge, and for what purpose?

Answer 1

I do not recall any comments about Stonehenge in Tacitus or Caesar. In general, the Romans saw such things as tourist attractions, but they had more interest in magnificent buildings than old manmade stuff. So they were intrigued by the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, but less by menhirs. When local tradition told them these objects were religious, the general policy was to leave them alone and not anger some god by moving or desecrating them. This is why many survive today. Much later, in the Middle Ages, Roman cemetaries and deserted towns were scavenged to build housing. Even the Colosseum and the Baths of Caracalla were scavenged to provide building material.