Post by UKarchaeology on Apr 3, 2016 20:50:33 GMT
Stonehenge’s origin has been a mystery for centuries, but archaeologists now believe it was actually a it is portable monument. An earlier version might have been erected in Wales.
Most Important Discovery
The discovery of holes cut into outcrops near the Preseli Hills in Pembrokeshire match the stones of Stonehenge — but are estimated to be 500 years older than those at the famous site.
“We don’t make that many fantastic discoveries in a lifetime of archeology but this is certainly one them,” Professor Parker Pearson told CNN.
“This is the first time we’ve found empirical evidence of how they moved the stones. There have been all sorts of ideas from rolling them in a strange cart-like construction to skimming them across the ice.
“You name it, I’ve heard it. But we finally have real evidence.”
The very large standing stones at Stonehenge are made of sarsen, a local sandstone, while the smaller ones are called bluestones.
The stones at Craig Rhos-y-felin are thought to date back to around 3400 BC, while those at Carn Goedog go back to 3200 BC, according to the evidence presented by the investigation — but Parker-Pearson says the large sarsens at Stonehenge weren’t erected until 2900 BC.
He believes the 500-year interval is unlikely to be caused by slow transportation, but rather that the stones were being used as a local monument near the quarries before being transported to Wiltshire.
Full story: www.albanydailystar.com/science/new-discovery-shows-stonehenge-has-been-built-firstly-in-wales-washington-dc-tech-zone-13154.html