Stone circles are remnants of ancient rituals and druidic lore. Most people recognize the stone rings at Stonehenge, located near Amesbury, England; which dates back to 2500 BC (around 4,525 years ago). However, numerous examples of “menhills” (standing stones) and other ancient stone arrangements can be found globally.
In fact, some of these stone monuments predate Stonehenge. For instance, the Oyyu Stone Circle in Northern Japan is estimated to be about 3,500 years old, having been discovered in 1931. Additionally, there are various Aboriginal stone circles throughout Australia; some of which may be nearly 10,000 years old.
Conversely, stone monuments are uncommon in America. Thus, in 2007, archaeologists were thrilled to uncover what seems to be a human-made stone arrangement at the bottom of Lake Michigan.
One archaeologist, Mark Holly, has since been seeking funds to drill at the site while keeping its exact location confidential to prevent disturbances.
Currently, the origin of these stones remains unclear. One theory suggests that they may indicate “driving lanes” for caribou hunting, reflecting a different study. 9,000-year-old stone arrangements found on Lake Huron would have been visible when the lanes were marked.
Lake Michigan remained dry until approximately 15,000 years ago. Therefore, these stones might have been arranged significantly earlier than those found at Lake Huron or Stonehenge.
This article addresses the inquiry by John McPherson from Ripon: “Are there any other stoneworks?”
For further questions, please email us at Question @sciencefocus.com or reach out viaFacebook, Twitter, or Instagram. (Make sure to include your name and location.)
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Cow teeth dating back 5,000 years could provide new insights into the construction of Stonehenge.
Utilizing advanced isotopic analysis, researchers examined the jawbone, which was first discovered at the southern entrance of Stonehenge in 1924, a location of significant ritual importance.
The findings indicate that the cow spent its early years on terrain that existed more than 400 million years ago, beneath the massive stones.
“This is the first evidence linking the timing of the cow’s life to the movement of the bluestones, which are connected to both Wales and Stonehenge,” said Professor Jane Evans, the study’s lead author, in an interview with BBC Science Focus. “The insights from a single tooth tell a larger narrative than I had anticipated.”
The bluestones of Stonehenge are smaller standing stones that contrast with the larger Sarsen stones, which were transported over 200 km (125 miles) from the Preseli Hills in southwest Wales.
The journey of these stones remains one of archaeology’s great mysteries. Were they carried on sleds, floated down rivers, or perhaps moved with the assistance of animals?
Researchers sliced the teeth into nine layers, each capturing a chemical signal reflecting a brief period in the cow’s life.
Oxygen and carbon isotopes revealed a dietary transition over roughly six months, from stored winter feed to summer grazing. Strontium analysis indicated that the cow’s diet came from diverse geological sources, implying that either the cow moved to the food or vice versa.
However, the lead isotopes presented a more unexpected finding. Their makeup suggested the geological settings of Wales, while unusual spikes indicated that lead stored in the skeleton was released during pregnancy.
This lead would have been incorporated into the skeleton earlier in the cow’s life. In essence, while its life concluded at Stonehenge, it likely began in Wales, mirroring the journey of the stones.
Subsequent tests confirmed that the animal was female, and she may have been pregnant or nursing when the tooth section formed.
Together, these findings enhance our understanding of the logistics involved in transporting the massive stones of Stonehenge, weighing approximately 4.5 tons (5 tons) over several hundred kilometers.
Rather than just a group of men carrying stones, the existence of cows—potentially pregnant and possibly providing milk—suggests a larger community engaged in their transport.
“We may theorize that the cow could have been used to pull loads,” Evans noted. While this specific animal might not have moved stones, it indicates that Neolithic people potentially utilized “beast of burden” techniques in the region.
“This study offers important new perspectives on the life history of this remarkable cow, which was interred at a vital site at Stonehenge’s entrance,” said Richard McGwick, a co-author of the research and professor of archaeological sciences at Cardiff University.
“It reveals unprecedented details about the animal’s distant origins and its arduous journey. Although grand narratives dominate studies of significant archaeological sites, this focused biographical approach to a single animal introduces a fresh dimension to the story of Stonehenge.”
Evans mentioned that further investigations could be conducted on other animal remains found in and around the monument.
For now, this cow’s teeth provide compelling evidence that the journey of Stonehenge’s stones may have involved both animals and humans.
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About our experts
Jane Evans is an honorary researcher and emeritus professor for the UK Geological Survey at the University of Leicester and the University of Nottingham. She is an isotopic geochemist specializing in isotopic system origins and their applications to archaeological dietary problems.
Researchers from University College London and other institutions have analyzed the molars of female Boss Torus (cattle) discovered at Stonehenge.
Stonehenge. Image credit: Regina Wolf.
In 1924, archaeologists restored the jawbone of an elderly cow found at the base of the groove surrounding Stonehenge Stage 1, constructed between 2995 and 2900 BC.
Professor Michael Parker Pearson from University College London and his team dated the find between 3350 and 2920 BC through isotopic analysis of a tooth, suggesting its origins in Wales.
“This offers even more intriguing evidence of Stonehenge’s connection to Southwest Wales, the source of Bluestone,” noted Professor Parker Pearson.
“It heightens the likelihood that these cows assisted in transporting the stones.”
Researchers recorded chemical signals from the second year of the animal’s life and sectioned its third molar into nine horizontal slices.
This enabled them to measure isotopes of carbon, oxygen, strontium, and lead, each shedding light on the cow’s diet, environment, and movements.
The varying concentrations and types found in the teeth offered insights into the cattle’s lifestyle.
Oxygen isotopes indicated that the teeth recorded about six months of growth spanning winter to summer, while carbon isotopes revealed seasonal dietary changes: forest feed in winter and pasture in summer.
Moreover, strontium isotopes suggested that these seasonal food sources came from different geological regions, implying that the cattle may have moved seasonally or that winter feed was transported.
Lead isotopes indicated a spike in composition between late winter and spring, suggesting older lead sources than the other dental leads.
The findings imply that the cattle originated from much older Paleozoic rock formations in the Pleshri hills of Pembrokeshire, Wales.
“This research revealed six months of unprecedented details about the life of this cow, presenting the first evidence of cattle movements from Wales and documenting dietary shifts and life events from around 5,000 years ago,” remarked Professor Jane Evans, an archaeologist at the National Environmental Isotope Facility at the British Geological Survey.
“One slice of cow tooth has conveyed an extraordinary narrative. I am hopeful that more revelations will emerge from her extensive journey as new scientific tools become available.”
Additionally, scientists concluded that unusual lead signals could not be attributed solely to local contamination or movement.
Rather, this lead, retained in the cow’s bones, was regenerating during the stress of pregnancy.
If accurate, this indicates that the cow was female during the formation of the teeth and was either pregnant or breastfeeding.
To validate this hypothesis, the authors employed peptide-based sex determination techniques, suggesting that the animal was likely a female.
“This study offers significant new insights into the life history of this enigmatic cow, whose remains were deposited at such a pivotal location at the entrance to Stonehenge,” said Professor Richard Majwick of Cardiff University.
“It provides unparalleled details regarding the animal’s distant origins and the arduous journey it undertook.”
“Often, grand narratives dominate research on major archaeological sites, but this detailed biographical examination of individual animals brings a fresh perspective to Stonehenge’s story.”
The team’s findings were published on June 17th, 2025, in the Journal of Archaeological Science.
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J. Evans et al. 2025 Boss Torus Evaluating the comparative sources and uptake times of teeth, strontium and lead from Stonehenge. Journal of Archaeological Science 180:106269; doi:10.1016/j.jas.2025.106269
A new study led by archaeologists from Curtin University suggests that Stonehenge’s iconic circle of stones – the Altar Stone, a six-tonne sandstone megalith – was discovered at least 750 kilometres from its current location.
Stonehenge. Image by Regina Wolfs.
Stonehenge, a Neolithic standing stone monument on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, provides invaluable information about prehistoric Britain.
Construction of Stonehenge began around 3000 BC and was modified over the next 2000 years.
The megaliths at Stonehenge are divided into two main categories: sarsens and bluestones.
The larger sarsens consist mainly of duriclast silicrite, taken from Marlborough’s West Woods, about 25km north of Stonehenge.
Bluestone is a general term for a variety of locally uncommon rocks, including volcanic tuff, rhyolite, dolerite, and sandstone.
Stonehenge’s central megalith, the Altar Stone, is the largest of the bluestones, measuring 4.9 x 1 x 0.5 metres, lying stone, weighing 6 tonnes, and is composed of a pale green mica sandstone with a distinctive mineral composition.
In the new study, Curtin University PhD student Anthony Clark and his colleagues studied the age and chemical composition of mineral grains within the altar stone fragments.
“Analysis of the age and chemical composition of the minerals in the altar stone fragments showed that they matched rocks from north-east Scotland, but were clearly different to the bedrock in Wales,” Mr Clarke said.
“We found that certain mineral grains in the altar stones are mostly between 1 and 2 billion years old, while other minerals date back to around 450 million years ago.”
“This provides a clear chemical fingerprint suggesting that the stone came from rocks in Scotland’s Auckland Basin, at least 750km from Stonehenge.”
“Given the constraints of Neolithic technology and its Scottish origin, this discovery raises intriguing questions about how such large stones could have been transported long distances around 2600 BC.”
Stonehenge layout and view of the Altar Stone. Image courtesy of Clark. others., doi:10.1038/s41586-024-07652-1.
“This discovery has important implications for our understanding of ancient communities, their connections and transportation,” Professor Chris Kirkland, from Curtin University, said.
“Our discovery of the altar stone’s origins highlights the importance of social co-operation in the Neolithic period and helps to paint a fascinating picture of prehistoric Britain.”
“Transporting such a large amount of cargo over land from Scotland to southern England would have been extremely difficult, so it is more likely that it was transported by sea along the English coast.”
“This suggests the existence of longer-distance trade networks and more advanced social organisation than is widely understood to have existed in the Neolithic in Britain.”
“We have succeeded in determining the age and chemical signature of perhaps one of the most famous stones from any world-famous ancient site,” said Professor Richard Bevins, from Aberystwyth University.
“We can now say that this iconic rock is Scottish rather than Welsh, but further research is needed to establish exactly where in the north-east of Scotland the Altar Stone came from.”
“The discovery is truly shocking, but if plate tectonics and atomic physics are correct, the altar stone is Scottish,” said Dr Robert Iksar, from University College London.
“This work raises two important questions: why and how was the altar stone transported from the far north of Scotland, over 70 kilometres away, to Stonehenge?”
The Altar Stone is located within the two large stone rings of Stonehenge.
Gavin Hellyer/Robert Suding/Getty Images
A study of the six-tonne altar stone at the heart of Stonehenge has revealed that it was almost certainly brought from northeast Scotland, much further away than any of the other stones in the megalithic structure.
“We were all in shock, we couldn't believe it,” the geologist said. Anthony Clark Curtin University, Perth, Australia.
It's unclear how the altar stone got from Scotland to southern England, but it was probably by sea, Clark said, because there is evidence people at the time traveled by sea.
Stonehenge is thought to have been begun about 5,100 years ago and constructed over a period of about 1,500 years. The outer circle is made of large stones called sarsens, weighing about 25 tons, while the inner circle and altar are made of small stones called bluestones, weighing about 3 tons. Bluestones are any rock that is not a sarsen. Bluestones are made of many different types of rock.
“What's unique about Stonehenge is the distance the stones were transported,” the geologist says. Richard Bevins Bevins, a researcher at Aberystwyth University in the UK, said most of the stone circles were made from rocks found within one kilometre of the site.
But the sarsens' source has been identified as West Woods in Wiltshire, about 15 miles (25 km) from the site, and Bevins' team has found that almost all of the bluestones came from the Preseli Hills in Wales, about 175 miles (280 km) away. One theory is that they were part of an even older Welsh stone monument that had been moved.
Stonehenge's Altar Stone is different to other bluestones: “By the end of 2021, we had concluded that the Altar Stone does not match any known geology in Wales,” team members said. Nick Piercealso at Aberystwyth University.
The five-metre-long stone is set into the ground with only one side exposed and partially covered by two other stones. It is thought to have been placed there around 4,500 years ago.
Stonehenge's altar stone (which is embedded beneath the other stones) was brought from north-east Scotland.
Nick Pearce, Aberystwyth University
Clark is currently analyzing samples of the altar stone using sophisticated equipment commonly used in the mining industry. The altar stone is made of sandstone, which means grains of rock that were deposited on the floor of an ancient sea eroded away and eventually stuck together to form new rock. The age of each grain varies depending on when the eroded rocks first formed, so each sandstone is a mix of grains of different ages.
Clark analyzed the zircon, apatite, and rutile crystals in the rock sample. These minerals contain uranium, which slowly decays into lead, so the ratio of uranium to lead can be used to determine the age of the rock. For example, the zircon in the rock is between 500 million and 3 billion years old.
The dating pattern indicates with more than 95 percent certainty that the altar stone is made from ancient red sandstone from the Auckland Basin in northeast Scotland, team members say. Chris Kirkland Located at Curtin University, the basin was once a huge ancient body of water called Lake Orcadie.
The nearest older red sandstone sites to Stonehenge are near Inverness, 750 kilometres (470 miles) away, and the furthest are in the Shetland Islands, up to 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) away, so the team believes the altar stone was probably transported by sea.
Glaciers can carry rocks long distances, and there's evidence that during the last ice age, ice in the Orkney region flowed north rather than south, Kirkland said.
So why was the altar stone transported so far? “That's a big question that's impossible to answer,” Clark says. “All we know is that it's a six-tonne rock that was transported from 750 kilometres away. That alone tells us an enormous amount about Neolithic societies and their connections.”
“What they did was pretty rigorous.” David Nash A team from the University of Brighton in the UK has pinpointed the exact source of Wiltshire sarsens: “This is really solid research.”
Nash said pinpointing the source of the altar stone more precisely would be difficult because the Orkney Basin spans a vast area and is up to five miles deep. “It's a huge task, because there's a huge amount of old red sandstone in the north of Scotland.”
In contrast, finding the exact source of the sarsens was easier because there were fewer possible sources, he said.
Genetic studies have shown that the people responsible for much of Stonehenge's construction were largely replaced by new waves of immigrants by about 4,000 years ago, likely after a major epidemic wiped out much of Europe's population.
Stonehenge, an ancient prehistoric temple in southern England, remains a fascinating mystery. Construction began around 5,000 years ago, but the purpose of this enigmatic site remains unknown as its builders left no written records.
Analysis has shown that the massive stones of Stonehenge were transported from distant quarries, some weighing over 20 tonnes.
The alignment of Stonehenge with the sun during the solstices is well-documented, but its potential connection with the moon has intrigued experts. Scholars are exploring whether Stonehenge was not only designed to align with the sun but also with the moon, a remarkable achievement for a society predating the invention of the wheel.
On June 21, 2024, experts are investigating the relationship between Stonehenge and the lunar cycles as a rare lunar standstill event unfolds.
Professor Michael Parker Pearson, a renowned expert in British prehistory, speculates that Stonehenge’s builders may have aimed to unify people, ancestors, land, and the cosmos by linking the movements of the sun and moon.
The lunar standstill, occurring once every 18.6 years, results in the moon reaching its most extreme northern and southern positions in the night sky. This phenomenon, unlike the annual solstices tied to the sun, creates a unique celestial display.
While Stonehenge’s alignment with the solstices is well-known, its relationship with the lunar cycles remains less understood. Research indicates that burials at Stonehenge predate the arrival of the large stones, and possible alignments suggest a connection with the lunar standstill phenomenon.
An ongoing study by experts from Oxford, Leicester, and Bournemouth universities aims to delve into the significance of the moon in Stonehenge’s construction, potentially reshaping our understanding of this ancient monument.
Experts like Professor Parker Pearson, Professor Ruggles, and Dr. Chadburn are at the forefront of unraveling the mysteries of Stonehenge and its celestial connections.
Stonehenge, an ancient temple in southern England built around 5,000 years ago, remains a mysterious site with no written explanation of its purpose. Modern analysis has shown that the massive stones were transported from distant quarries to the site.
The structure is aligned with the sun during the summer and winter solstices, but the significance of this alignment remains unclear. There is speculation about whether it was also aligned with the moon, a remarkable achievement for a society that did not have advanced technology.
On June 21, 2024, a team of experts aims to investigate if the moon was an integral part of Stonehenge’s design during a rare lunar event.
Professor Michael Parker Pearson, an expert in British prehistory, believes that if Stonehenge is connected to this event, it would show a profound understanding of celestial movements by its builders.
The lunar major standstill, occurring every 18.6 years, involves the moon reaching extreme positions in the night sky, similar to the sun’s solstices. Stonehenge’s alignment with these lunar cycles is a topic of ongoing research by experts.
The study of Stonehenge’s connection to the lunar standstill involves academics from multiple universities and aims to shed light on the role of the moon in the construction of this ancient site.
About our experts
Mike Parker Pearson: A Professor of British Late Prehistory at UCL with extensive experience in archaeology and heritage preservation.
Clive Ruggles: An Emeritus Professor of Archaeoastronomy known for his work on astronomy and World Heritage sites.
Amanda Chadburn: An archaeologist and historic environment advisor contributing to research on Stonehenge and its lunar connections.
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