Parts Of Stonehenge Were In Place Long Before Humans, Archaeologists Find

[Mastan]

One of the biggest mysteries surrounding Stonehenge may be finally solved, why did people drag massive stones tens of miles to erect Stonehenge? It has been a question anthropologists have grappled with for decades and now, it appears, the answer is because two of the giant stones were already in place for millions of years.

One of the longstanding mysteries surrounding Stonehenge is why that specific location was selected to erect the massive stone blocks, called sarsens. Previously, it was thought that the source of the stones was 20 miles away at Marlborough Downs, leaving archaeologists puzzled as to why people moved each stone 20 miles to Salisbury Plain when they could have simply erected the stones in Marlborough Downs. Archaeologist Mike Pitts recently published his findings regarding the origin of Stonehenge in the Journal of British Archaeology.

After extensive archaeological research, Mr. Pitts believes he has found the answer. Two of the largest stones appear to have been in place for millions of years, long before humans arrived to create Stonehenge.

The largest stone in Stonehenge, the heel stone, weighs 60 tonnes and is uniquely not shaped or dressed like many of the other stones. In addition, while excavating around the heel stone Mr. Pitts found evidence for a relict hole that would be big enough for the heel stone. This relict hole, Mr. Pitts believes, was the original location of the heel stone, which was dug out and erected but never moved a substantial distance.

During further excavation, Mr. Pitts found evidence for another filled in hole nearby stone 16. Mr. Pitts believes this relict hole was once the original location of another of the largest stones in Stonehenge, stone 16.

So if these two massive unshaped and undressed stones originated in place at Salisbury Plain, what prompted people to erect these stones and drag over a dozen other stones 20 miles to Salisbury Plain? It appears the answer lies in the initial orientation of the two stones, which aligned with sunrise during the summer solstice and sunset during the winter solstice. The Tertiary aged stones are a result of repeated frost wedging during warm and cold periods in Earth's history.

The story begins to fall into place that the two massive sandstone boulders existed in place for millions of years. The unique presence of the two boulders and their orientation with sunrise and sunset appears to have been the significance behind the Stonehenge location.