Stonehenge is one of the great archeological wonders of the world, a megalithic monument that surprises with its majesty and the amount of questions it raises both in terms of its meaning and usefulness and how it was built with precarious means of the time.And it is that Stonehenge was built between 3,000 and 1,600 BC near the town of Amesbury, County Wiltshire, England .This chromlech-type megalithic building is undoubtedly the most impressive witness of megalithic culture.In this article we bring you closer to one of its greatest mysteries:
Where do Stonehenge's famous blue stones come from?
The structure of Stonehenge It is formed by two large concentric circles and formed by large stones of several tons of weight.The outer circle is about 30 meters in diameter and is composed of rectangular sandstone stones topped s by other stones placed horizontally forming lintels. In the interior there is another circle of smaller size , but this one is built with blocks of sandstone of bluish tone, a last circular structure that also encloses another construction in Horseshoe shape with a micacea sandstone slab inside as an altar.
The blue-tone stones immediately intrigued the scientists, proceeding to study the mineralogical composition of the Menhirs that make up the set.This type of stone has been located at a distance of more than 240km from Stonehenge, in Pembroke , an area in western Wales where this type of stone is found naturally In more precise studies this point has been confirmed by study Petrochemicals conducted by scientists from the University of Leicester and the National Museum of Wales. The result of the chemical and mineralogical study of the stones has shown that their ultimate origin is located somewhat further north of the Preseli Hills region, specifically in Craig Rhos, near Pont Saeson , throwing the comparison of the stones of both areas 99% similarity.The stones would proceed from two quarries in Wales located 225km from Stonehenge and which are supposed to have been removed by inserting wooden cradles in the cracks and leaving them, once moistened by rainwater, they broke off the natural outcrop.These rocks are of volcanic origin, igneous rocks, specifically known as dolerite and rhyolite .The doleritas of Stonehenge would come from the outcrop of Carn Goedog , while the rhyolites would have the origin of the Craig Rhos quarry .
Moreover, the archaeological studies have revealed that these quarries were exploited during prehistoric times between 3,400 to 3,200 BC, while their placement in Stonehenge dates from 2,900 BC.Nothing more and nothing less than about 500 years later and throwing new doubts and mystery about Stonehenge .Researchers have pointed out that this may be because blue stones may have been used before in other megalithic monuments in that area and then taken to Wiltshire It has also been studied how they could have been transferred from one point to another and the conclusions pointed even as more likely to a land transfer.If this theory were true, Stonehenge, or at least part of its construction materials, would have been a monument originating in the area of Wales that centuries later, and without even knowing the For that reason, he was moved south to Wiltshire as the final destination.
Another hypothesis points out that the blue stones could have been naturally moved by the glaciers in the last phase of the glacial period. Something that is refuted, since it is not They have found other Pembroke stones in the Stonehenge area and it would be really curious if only the blue stones had been dragged.
Be that as it may, the majestic megalithic monument of Stonehenge remains a mystery and arousing our admiration for megalithic culture.
If you want to know more about Stonehenge we recommend you read more about the mysterious origin of Stonehenge.
Images: Wellcome Library, London and Pixabay
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