Credit English Heritage Site
The mystery of Britain’s Stonehenge continues to grow.
Archaeologists in the UK have have long stated that the actual bluestones used in the ancient monument, located in Wiltshire, came from the Preseli Hills in Pembrokeshire, West Wales. Now they have found evidence to show that Stonehenge may have first been erected in Wales and then later moved to its current site.
Archaeologists have discovered holes and crevices just north of the Preseli Hills that seem to match the size and shape of the stones that make up Stonehenge. They date this discovery to 3400 – 3200 BC, which is around 500 years before the creation of the prehistoric monument in Wiltshire.
The bigger standing stones at Stonehenge are made of sarsen, a local sandstone, while the smaller ones are bluestones from the Preseli Hills.
Credit The Preseli Hills Pembrokeshire
Professor Mike Parker Pearson, of
University College London (UCL), says that while it is possible that it took 500 years to move the stones from the Preseli Hills to their final resting place, he believes, “It’s more likely that the stones were first used in a local monument, somewhere near the quarries, that was then dismantled and dragged off to Wiltshire.”
Stonehenge is considered one of the UK’s most popular tourist attractions. It was added to UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites in 1986.
