‘People from Wales made Stonehenge’

PEOPLE from Wales made Stonehenge by dragging the stone to build it 140 miles from the Preseli Hills, academics now believe.

Despite a century of study it was not known until now who built the iconic landmark in Wiltshire. Part of the reason for this is that many of the human remains at the site were cremated.

Now a new study by Oxford University, published in Nature Scientific Reports, suggests some of the people who were buried at the site had moved with and likely transported the bluestones used in the early stages of the construction.

New techniques for investigating the cremated remains have now revealed a number of people moved to England with the stones from the Preseli Hills.

The team analysed skull bones from 25 individuals buried at the 5,000-yearold site. The found that “at least 10 of the 25 cremated individuals analysed did not spend their lives on the Wessex chalk on which the monument is found”.

Analysis of their remains showed they had lived in western Britain, a region that includes West Wales.

The research was carried out by analysing the strontium isotopes in their tooth enamel.

More than 200km from Wiltshire, the Craig Rhos-y-felin and Carn Goedog quarries are believed to be the sources of the stone.

Dr Rick Schulting, senior author on the study, said: “These must have been important people. Being buried at Stonehenge is the ancient equivalent of being interred in Westminster Cathedral today. These people were obviously able to travel substantial distances across difficult terrain.”