A longstanding mystery over how the bluestones at Stonehenge arrived on Salisbury Plain more than 5,000 years ago may have been definitively solved. New research led by Professor Richard Bevins of Aberystwyth University concludes that the smaller stones were transported by human hands, not glaciers, over a distance of 125 miles from Wales.
Scientists analysed the so-called “Newall boulder,” a football-sized stone discovered during excavations in the 1920s, using advanced geochemical and microscopic analysis. They compared it to samples from Craig Rhos-y-Felin in north Pembrokeshire, Wales, long suspected as a source of some of Stonehenge’s stones.
The analysis revealed an exact geochemical match, with identical levels of thorium and zirconium, indicating the boulder was intentionally quarried and transported by Neolithic communities around 3000 BCE. “This study closes the door on the glacial transport theory,” the researchers wrote in the Journal of Archaeological Science.
The glacial theory, proposed by geologist Dr Brian John, suggested stones were carried by Ice Age glaciers. But the new research asserts surface markings previously seen as glacial abrasion are likely natural weathering or ancient human handling. No glacial deposits or similar stone fragments have been found across Salisbury Plain except at Stonehenge.
Stonehenge’s construction involved moving bluestones weighing up to 3.5 tonnes from Wales and sarsen stones over 20 tonnes from nearby West Woods. The Altar Stone may have come from as far as 750km away in Scotland. Researchers say Neolithic technology like ropes, wooden sledges, and trackways made the feat feasible.
“The evidence overwhelmingly supports a human effort in transporting these stones,” said Professor Bevins. “Stonehenge is a testament to the determination and unity of Britain’s Neolithic communities, and it remains one of the greatest feats of prehistoric engineering.”
