Stonehenge's Little Blue Neighbor

The arranged stones that still stand at Stonehenge continue to lure, bewilder and amaze, thousands of years after the people who put them there vanished from the face of the earth. And the mystery of Stonehenge simply grows deeper, with the announcement of a newly discovered stone circle, smaller than its better known and fully exposed companion, located less than two miles away.

It’s been dubbed “Blue Stonehenge,” named for the type of blue rock originally from a Welsh quarry 150 miles away. Archaeologists believe these blue stones to have stood in the newly discovered circle, and that these same stones have been excavated and moved into place in an inner circle of Stonehenge proper some 2,500 years ago.

The major discovery arises through the collaborative effort of archaeologists from the universities of Bristol, Manchester and Sheffield. The newly found circle is, at only 33 feet in diameter, much smaller than Stonehenge. However, its location — at the end of the avenue that connects Stonehenge with the River Avon — renders it an archaeological finding whose import could not be more monumental.

Stonehenge has been increasingly understood to be primarily of ceremonial and funereal purpose — no trace of settled residential activity has been uncovered at the site — but the relationship between Stonehenge and the neighboring waterway have been elusive. The new circle certainly raises fresh new questions, but absolutely ensures the Avon’s core importance to Stonehenge.

Julian Thomas from the University of Manchester, who has played a leading role in the discovery, is quoted by ScienceDaily in reflecting upon the weight of the discovery:

“The implications of this discovery are immense. It is compelling evidence that this stretch of the River Avon was central to the religious lives of the people who built Stonehenge. Old theories about Stonehenge that do not explain the evident significance of the river will have to be re-thought.”

Photo courtesy of Daveahern, via Wikimedia Commons