US EditionStudy Traces Stonehenge Bluestones to Welsh Quarry and Human Haulage
WILTSHIRE, ENGLAND, JUL 23 – New research shows Neolithic people transported up to 3.5-ton bluestones over 125 miles from Wales to Stonehenge, disproving the glacial transport theory, study finds.
- On July 23, 2025, an Aberystwyth University-led study, led by Professor Richard Bevins, concluded that Neolithic people transported bluestones over 125 miles from Craig Rhos-y-Felin in Wales to Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain.
- A longstanding scholarly dispute has pitted glacial and human transport theories fueled by a 1924 archaeological discovery noting surface wear consistent with sub-glacial abrasion of the Newall Boulder, highlighting its role as a test case.
- Through mineralogical and geochemical analyses, researchers found the boulder matches Rhyolite Group C from Craig Rhos-y-felin, and study authors described 'very strong' quarrying evidence at the Welsh site.
- Professor Bevins and his team stated, 'The evidence overwhelmingly supports a human effort in transporting these stones,' while 'this study closes the door on the glacial transport theory,' underscoring the role of Neolithic transport in shaping Stonehenge's construction.
- While the monument’s purpose remains debated, the breakthrough highlights the deliberate effort of Britain’s Neolithic communities, as 'Stonehenge is a testament to the determination and unity of Britain’s Neolithic communities, and it remains one of the greatest feats of prehistoric engineering,' said study authors.
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The large boulders placed in the circle in the British Neolithic site of Stonehenge, in the English county of Wiltshire, were placed in the night of time by human hands where it is still...
Researchers have found another piece of puzzle in the puzzle about Stonehenge. It is about the origin of a stone and, above all, the nature of its transport. The investigation refutes an old theory for good.
·Dortmund, Germany
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Humans, not glacial transport, brought bluestones to Stonehenge, new research indicates
Aberystwyth University-led research has shared new findings clarifying that the enigmatic "Newall boulder" from Stonehenge was transported by Neolithic people, not by glacial transport, from Craig Rhos-y-Felin in Wales.
·United Kingdom
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Total News Sources16
Leaning Left2Leaning Right5Center5Last UpdatedBias Distribution42% Center, 42% Right
Bias Distribution
- 42% of the sources are Center, 42% of the sources lean Right
42% Right
L 17%
C 42%
R 42%
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