BOULDERS at Stonehenge are believed to have been taken to the site by humans and not by glaciers as previously thought.
A new study by experts at Aberystwyth University says there is “no evidence for ice extending as far south as Salisbury Plain”.
Stonehenge was built from stones all over Great Britain which includes smaller bluestone megaliths that came from north Pembrokeshire in Wales – 140 miles away from the ancient monument.
Archaeologists previously thought that the bluestones from the Preseli Hills, which were among the first stones to be erected some 5,000 years ago, were transported by glacial ice long before Stonehenge’s construction.
But now, research published in the Journal for Archaeological Research suggests there is no evidence to support the ice transport theory.
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The Newall boulder Picture: R.E. Bevins/Journal of Archeological Science
Experts focused attention on the Newall boulder which was excavated in 1924 and is in the collection of the Salisbury Museum.
Detailed examination using X-ray, geochemical and microscopic analysis as well as surface textural analysis, reveals there is “no evidence to support the interpretation that it is a glacial erratic”.
The article said: “Rather is derived from a fragmented monolith at Stonehenge, probably what now remains as the buried stump of Stone 32d, transported from Craig Rhos-y-Felin to Stonehenge by Neolithic people.”
The work challenged a previous theory that suggested the boulder was reduced in size and heavily modified during glacial transport, and was eventually dumped at or relatively close to the Salisbury Plain.
The theory suggested the boulder’s shape was altered by ice, but the team at Aberystwyth University said this “could be simply generated by surface weathering”.
They go on to say that if the bluestones were transported by ice – even some of the way – from Wales to Wiltshire
The report said: “If this were the case, then there should be erratics derived from the Mynydd Preseli in west and south Wales. Whilst there are erratics in those regions, for example on the Gower Peninsula and Vale of Glamorgan area further east, there is no record of the very distinctive spotted dolerite used at Stonehenge, where that lithology represents 66% of the bluestone monoliths (30 of the 45 or so stones).
“Given its abundance at Stonehenge, one would expect an abundance of spotted dolerites at their source.”
It added: “The total absence of spotted dolerite erratics further east than the vicinity of Narberth and the evidence for Neolithic stone extraction at both Craig Rhos-y-Felin and Carn Goedog argue strongly in favour of human transport.”
This is just a theory of mine that may interest some.
Posted on the site https://www.megalithic.co.uk
Moving the blue stones my thoughts.
By Martin Watt (Salisbury)
The following is a big IF, but if during the winter the temperature was low enough for rivers to freeze or at least have ice thick enough for heavy weights, it is feasible. In the 1960s in the South of England we often had winters where the ground was frozen for a month or so and rivers had thin ice. See ‘Ice Road Truckers’ on how much weight thick ice can take.
1. The blue stones would be quarried in Wales at any time and transported to the Bristol coast via rivers, sea, overland or both. They could have used the Irish sea to get to the Bristol Channel although that is a very tricky route. I propose they were sailed – during the summer and calm weather – to the Bristol channel on rafts, or boats lashed together.
2. The stones could have been left on a beach, jetty or on a river bank on the Bristol side until winter.
3. In winter the stones would be loaded onto wood sledges. I suggest that a one ton blue stone on a sledge could easily be hauled by two men or a single tamed Auroch (or bred offspring) provided they all had non slip boots like the Inuit use. It would not be beyond those clever people to form a convoy of maybe 20 sledges at a time. Taking just 2-3 winters to do the job.
4. I am certain that major constructions such as Stonehenge and Avebury could not have been built without some kind of cross-tribal agreements. Someone – senior priest or other head honcho – must have sent messengers to the various tribes on the stones route to make sure they were ready for passage through their areas. Archaeological evidence points to there being inter tribal battles in the Stone age forward. Flints have been found along with many skulls in Wiltshire that were “cleaved” so some authority may have persuaded them to pause fighting even if was just to build the monuments. 1.
6. Every village along the route would be tasked with providing a small number of workers and possibly tamed Aurochs, plus food etc. Bear in mind that during the winter there may have been more labour available than in the planting and harvesting seasons. If each village just hauled along the river until the next village it would mean each set of workers would not have to trek far to get back home. This is similar to our early transport where long distance stage coaches would stop for a night to exchange or rest horses top up on food and carry on the next day.
7. There are short sections of the rivers route where overland transport is needed, but if the ground was frozen, the sledges (with runners lubricated with pig fat) may still have been used, failing that rollers and or wood tracks could be used for those sections.
I would presume that workers would have been tasked – prior to the stones transport – to clear trees blocking rivers and generally clear and smooth the way to facilitate passage of the stones.
8. Return trip. The sledges could either have been used as firewood at the construction sites, or returned the same way they had come to be reused the next year. The workers could then return to their village a short distance away.
Some figures:
If 20 sledges in convoy were used as an example, that requires just 40 people to tow them, or if tamed Aurochs or bulls were used then only 20-30 people. So we are not looking at a huge labour force to move the stones.
If say 10 villages were along the Bristol channel to Wiltshire route that means each hauling section may have been around 7-10 miles allowing for meandering rivers. 10 Miles in a day or possibly two – total trip 2-3 weeks.
Accommodation: Large roundhouses can easily sleep 10 people or more if crammed in. In some societies now around the world a guest would be welcomed, fed and watered so even family homes may have been opened for guests especially if it was considered a religious duty.
Theses ideas only apply to the blue stones, clearly the sarsens would need a bigger labour force due to their weight.
1. Wiltshire Archaeology and Natural History journals
wiltshirearchaeo24arch.pdf
VOL. XXIV.1889.
pages 104-125
And other journals.