Bluestones brought by people, say researchers

THE renowned bluestone boulders of Stonehenge were transported from Pembrokeshire to Salisbury Plain by humans and not glaciers as previously claimed, according to new scientific research.

- STAFF REPORTER

A team of experts led by Aberystwyth University - in collaboration with scientists from University College London, the University of South Wales and the University of Exeter - has revisited arguments around whether the large stones were moved more than 200km from west Wales to Wiltshire by ice or people.

They focused their study on a distinctive piece of rock known as the “Newall boulder”, which was excavated at Stonehenge in 1924 and which has been central to the debate in recent decades.

Some studies have described the Newall boulder as a glacial erratic, supporting the theory that ice was responsible for transporting the rocks that built the famous stone circle on Salisbury Plain.