Stonehenge's smaller 'bluestones' were hauled roughly 150 miles from the Preseli Hills in Wales, while its much larger sarsen stones travelled a far shorter distance. Where does geochemical analysis show the sarsens came from?
- West Woods, near Marlborough, about 15-20 miles away
- Quarries on the Isle of Portland, over 100 miles away
- Riverbanks near the mouth of the Thames estuary
- The Mendip Hills, roughly 50 miles to the southwest
Why A? And why not the others?
Correct answer: A. West Woods, near Marlborough, about 15-20 miles away
A 2020 geochemical study matched the chemical signature of a leftover sarsen core, drilled from one of the standing stones decades earlier, against samples from woodland sites across southern England, pinpointing a specific area north of Marlborough as the source for most of the monument's huge sarsens, each weighing up to about 25 tonnes. That short journey stands in sharp contrast to the smaller bluestones, whose mineral composition traces back to outcrops in Wales, meaning Neolithic builders around 2500 BCE moved them well over a hundred miles by means archaeologists still debate. Portland's stone quarries, coastal riverbanks near the Thames, and the Mendip Hills are all real geological sources within England, but none of them match the specific mineral fingerprint the sarsens actually carry.
Source: Britannica: Stonehenge