Experts say the smaller stones, known as bluestones, were brought from the Preseli Hills in south Wales, while the origins of the larger sarsens at the heart of Stonehenge remained a matter of debate.
This is reported by Express.
It has long been assumed that sarsens were brought from the Marlborough Downs, but recent research by archaeologists and geologists has shed light on the issue.
Using samples of sarsens, an international team of researchers determined their origin from the West Woods, located just 25 kilometers from Stonehenge, which is significantly closer compared to Marlborough Downs (32 km).
“Our research has resolved a three-hundred-year debate about the origins of the Stonehenge stones. West Woods was the closest location to Stonehenge where there were suitable monoliths that could be transported via a relatively easy route,” said Professor Mike Parker Pearson, one of the study’s authors.
Moving such massive blocks apparently required the use of wooden runners and logs that served as rails. Of the 15 stones in the central part of Stonehenge and the 25 vertical slabs of the outer circle, as well as six lintels, all of them are sarsens.
Modern technology has allowed scientists to compare the macroscopic and microscopic characteristics of these stones with their original deposits, confirming that the bluestones were indeed brought from South Wales.
However, a different approach was required to analyze the sarsens, which are largely composed of the same quartz sandstone. The researchers used X-ray fluorescence spectrometry to determine the chemical composition of the stones without destroying them, which became a clue to their origin.
Cursor also reported that paleontologists discovered the remains of a frog, 100 million years old.
In addition, NASA recently received a unique laser radio signal from the depths of the Universe.
2024-02-18 05:02:39
#Scientists #breakthrough #study #Stonehenge
