Stonehenge discovery

Leicester University and National Museum Wales have identified the source of the Stonehenge rocks as Craig Rhos-y-felin, which is located about 100 miles from the Stonehenge site.

This discovery opens the door to another mystery — why and how ancient cultures transported the large stones over such a great distance.

Dr. Rob Ixer of Leicester University told the BBC: “Being able to provenance any archaeologically significant rock so precisely is remarkable. However, given continued perseverance, we are determined that we shall uncover the origins of most, if not all of the Stonehenge bluestones so allowing archaeologists to continue their speculations well into a third century.”

In the past year, researchers have compared textural relationships and mineral content of the stones found at Stonehenge and were able to pinpoint the location as close to several meters from the source. Ninty-nine per cent of the samples were matched to the rocks found at Craig Rhos-y-felin, which is different from all others in south Wales.

It is hoped that more research will eventually give insigth on how the rocks made the journey all the way to Stonehenge sometime between 3000 and 1600 BC.

Dr. Richard Bevins of the National Museum Wales noted that “Many have asked the question over the years, how the stones got from Pembrokeshire to Stonehenge. Thanks to geological research, we now have a specific source for the rhyolite stones from which to work and an opportunity for archaeologists to answer the question that has been widely debated.”

It was once speculated that the rocks were moved over water by way of the Bristol Channel and River Avon. However, recent efforts to recreate the trip have all ended in failure.

Sources: bbc.co.uk, yahoo.com

Photo ©iStockphoto.com/Brendan Hunter

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