An archeological treasure trove unearthed by a team from the Open University could transform our understanding of Stonehenge. The most significant artifacts uncovered are two carved ducks, the first of their kind to be found in Britain and the oldest figurines ever hewn from the UK. The ducks were likely, say the team, to be a result of the Bronze Age tradition of carving animal figurines which were then thrown into water as offerings. But while the ducks date back to 700BC, a ceremonial dagger was also found which was twice as old, originating around 1400BC. However, another item which Jacques initially believed was a cow's tooth was revealed by radiocarbon dating to date back to around 6250BC, some 3,000 years before work began on Stonehenge. Read more
A detailed survey of every stone that makes up Stonehenge using the latest technology, including a new scanner on loan from Z+F UK that has never before been used on a heritage project in this country, has resulted in the most accurate digital model ever produced of the world famous monument. With resolution level as high as 0.5mm in many areas, every nook and cranny of the stones' surfaces is revealed with utmost clarity, including the lichens, Bronze Age carvings, erosion patterns and Victorian graffiti. Read more
The remains of the original builders of Stonehenge could have been unearthed by an excavation at a site in Wales. The Carn Menyn site in the Preseli Hills is where the initial bluestones used to construct the first stone phase of the henge were quarried in 2300BC. Organic material from a tomb there will be radiocarbon dated. Archaeologists believe this could prove a more conclusive link between the site and Stonehenge. Read more
King Arthur Pendragon loses human remains legal battle
A druid who went to the High Court to try to stop researchers examining ancient human remains found at Stonehenge has failed in his legal bid. Read more
John Farren, editor of Timewatch, explores the riddle of the stones with historians Tim Darvill, Susie West and Stuart Mitchell, in the Stonehenge podcast Read more
Stonehenge is being scanned using modern laser technology to search for hidden clues about how and why it was built. All visible faces of the standing and fallen stones, many of which are obscured by lichen, will be surveyed. Some ancient carvings have previously been found on the stones, including a famous Neolithic "dagger". Read more
The program also made the total, unquestioning assumption that people transported the bluestones to Salisbury Plain. This remains a hotly debated subject, but there is another view on it. There is growing evidence that an ancient ice sheet moved the bluestones across Wales and into southern England as glacial erratics, to be found on or near to Salisbury Plain thousands of years later by the builders of Stonehenge. The widely dispersed and very diverse nature of the bluestone sources (more than a dozen sources, up to 100 km apart) suggests random transport by ice, not human selection at a carefully chosen quarry. Read more
Archaeologists have discovered a major ceremonial monument less than one km away from the iconic Stonehenge. The team led by the University of Birmingham and the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Archaeological Prospection and Virtual Archaeology, Austria, unearthed the prehistoric 'henge-like' late Neolithic monument. Read more
Archaeologists in Wiltshire have discovered remarkable evidence of a spectacular party - enjoyed by Neolithic tribesmen 4,500 years ago. Excavations at Britain's biggest "henge" site - a prehistoric religious complex 16 times the size of Stonehenge - have yielded the remains of dozens of pigs slaughtered for an ancient ceremonial feast. Read more