The massive stones forming Britain’s Neolithic Stonehenge circle in Wiltshire were deliberately positioned by human hands in ancient times and remain a major attraction for millions of annual visitors, New Age enthusiasts, and scholars. This conclusion comes from new research by Aberystwyth University in Wales, which definitively challenges the alternative hypothesis of natural glacial transport during the Ice Age.
The enduring mystery stems from the world’s most imposing and famous primitive stone circle (“cromlech” in Breton) being composed of rocks sourced from across Britain—including a bluestone monolith traceable to Pembrokeshire, Wales, 225 kilometers from Stonehenge’s location near Salisbury. This has fueled unresolved debate among archaeologists, most of whom attribute the transport to human effort, while others speculate about glacial-era natural phenomena.
Aberystwyth researchers now assert credible geological evidence resolves this. Their study focused on the “Newall Boulder,” excavated in 1924 and among the oldest stones erected in Wiltshire 5,000 years ago. Originating from Craig Rhos-y-Felin in Pembrokeshire, the boulder shows “no evidence” supporting the ice-drag theory. It remains to be seen whether these findings will settle the centuries-old debate.