Despite weighing around 25 tons each , the enormous sarsen stones of Stonehenge weresomehow transported over incredible distanceswhen the monument was make almost 5,000 years ago . The majority of these colossal monoliths come from a spot known as the West Woods , around 25 kilometers ( 15.5 naut mi ) from the internet site itself , yet newfangled enquiry has identify fragment of sarsen stone that start an incredible 123 kilometer ( 76.4 miles ) away in East Sussex .
Sarsens are silicified sandstone Boulder that are found in the overt crank Benny Hill of southerly England . They are the edifice blocks of several of the most iconic structures atStonehenge , including the Trilithon Horseshoe , the Sarsen Circle , and the Station Stone Rectangle .
While the smaller ( yet still massive ) ‘ bluestones ’ that make up the intimate circle are well do it to have fall from the Preseli Hills in Wales , the sarsens ’ origins were n’t confirmed until 2020 , when the chemical composition of all but two of the mammoth tilt was matched to source material in theWest Woods . Interestingly , the two anomalous sarsens - known just as Stones 26 and 160 - are yet to be trace .
To gain more insight into the provenance of these immense gem , the authors of a new study analyzed the chemic composition of 54 sample of sarsen debris retrieve from excavation deep at Stonehenge in 2008 . Using technique such as X - ray fluorescence spectrographic analysis ( pXRF ) and inductively - partner off plasma mass spectrometry ( ICP - MS ) , the researchers discovered that none of these fragment matched entirely with the West Wood sarsens .
compare their findings with data from sarsen outcrop areas across southerly England , the study generator were able-bodied to link 15 of their samples with specific locations .
“ Eleven of these were likely sourced from Monkton Down , Totterdown Wood and West Woods on the Marlborough Downs ( 25–33 km northward of Stonehenge ) , ” write the researchers . “ Three fragments belike came from Bramdean , Hampshire ( 51 klick southeast of Stonehenge ) , and one from Stoney Wish , East Sussex ( 123 km to the southeastward ) . ”
These results indicate that the fragments were not grow during the processing of the primary West Wood sarsens , although it ’s unclear if they exemplify stuff withdraw from the outer surface of Stones 26 or 160 . The dust may also have belonged to other sarsen stones that once place upright at Stonehenge but have since been removed or dismantled .
“ At this stage , we can only speculate on the reasons why sarsen Harlan Fisk Stone from such diverse sources is present at Stonehenge , ” drop a line the study author . Among the many potential explanations is that these fragment were once slice of hammerstones that were used in theconstruction of the illustrious landmark .
or else , these foreign endocarp may have been part of modest rocks that were brought to the internet site for ceremonial purposes .
The study has been published in theJournal of Archaeological Science : report .
