Stonehenge - A New Theory

On 31st March a new archaeological dig started at the ancient Stonehenge site. The excavation is being undertaken by the BBC Timewatch team. The progress of the dig can be followed on the BBC History homepage.

"Timewatch archaeologists are carrying out the first dig for almost half a century inside the stone circle of the world's most famous Neolithic monument. Their aim is to unearth evidence for a startling new theory - that Stonehenge was built to heal the sick. Check this site regularly for video updates and breaking news."

The purpose of the dig is to find out what Stonehenge was really for. Two of Britain's leading archaeologists Professor Timothy Darvill and Professor Geoff Wainwright have come up with a new theory:

"The whole purpose of Stonehenge is that it was a prehistoric Lourdes," says Wainwright. "People came here to be made well."

This is revolutionary stuff, and it comes from a reinterpretation of the stones of the henge and the bones buried nearby. Darvill and Wainwright believe the smaller bluestones in the centre of the circle, rather than the huge sarsen stones on the perimeter, hold the key to the purpose of Stonehenge. The bluestones were dragged 250km from the mountains of southwest Wales using Stone Age technology. That's some journey, and there must have been a very good reason for attempting it. Darvill and Wainwright believe the reason was the magical, healing powers imbued in the stones by their proximity to traditional healing springs.

The bones that have been excavated from around Stonehenge appear to back the theory up. "There's an amazing and unnatural concentration of skeletal trauma in the bones that were dug up around Stonehenge," says Darvill. "This was a place of pilgrimage for people...coming to get healed."

Click on photo for a larger view.

These days it is almost impossible to visit the stones without sharing them crowds of people. I do have a vivid memory of a school visit to them. We were able to go and stand in the stone circle, look up at their immense height and touch them. As a young teenager from this viewpoint they were quite awe inspiring!