New dig probes Wiltshire's Stonehenge mystery

10:48am Monday 31st March 2008

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Archaeologists today began a historic dig which they hope will unravel the ancient mystery of Stonehenge.

A trench is being excavated at the World Heritage site in a bid to establish the precise dating of the Double Bluestone Circle, the first stone structure that was built there thousands of years ago.

Timothy Darvill and Geoffrey Wainwright, the professors leading the first dig inside the stone circle in 44 years, believe their project could answer the "eternal questions" of when and why Stonehenge was first built.

Prof Darvill, of Bournemouth University, and Prof Wainwright, President of the Society of Antiquaries, will compare samples with their research in the Preseli hills in south west Wales, from where 80 such stones were carried an estimated 4,500 years ago.

Dr Simon Thurley, chief executive of English Heritage - which maintains Stonehenge - described the dig as "tremendously exciting".

He said: "The bluestones hold the key to understanding the purpose and meaning of Stonehenge.

"Their arrival marked a turning point in the history of Stonehenge, changing the site from being a fairly standard formative henge with timber structures and occasional use for burial, to the complex stone structure whose remains dominate the site today."

Prof Wainwright added: "This small excavation of a bluestone is the culmination of six years' of research which Tim and I have conducted in the Precelli hills of North Pembrokeshire and which has shed new light on the eternal question as to why Stonehenge was built.

"The excavation will date the arrival of the bluestones following their 250km (153 mile) journey from Preseli to Salisbury Plain and contribute to our definition of the society which undertook such an ambitious project.

"We will be able to say not only why but when the first stone monument was built."

The last time an excavation was allowed inside the sarsen stone pillars was in 1964.

The hole, which will eventually measure 3.5 metres wide and 1.5 metres deep, will be dug by hand in a previously excavated area on the south-eastern quadrant of the Double Stone Circle with the hope of retrieving fragments of the original bluestone pillars.

Prof Darvill said he had consulted druid groups before carrying out the dig.

He said: "It is an incredibly exciting moment and a great privilege to be able to excavate inside Stonehenge.

"This excavation is the first opportunity in nearly half a century to bring the power of modern scientific archaeology to bear on a problem that has taxed the minds of travellers, antiquaries, and archaeologists since medieval times - just why were the bluestones so important and powerful to have warranted our ancestors to make the gargantuan journey to bring them to Salisbury Plain?"

The two-week dig will also investigate the "Stonehenge Layer", a layer of debris and stone chippings spreading across the whole extent of the stone circle and comprising a high proportion of bluestone fragments.

English Heritage agreed to the excavation on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, following consent by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.

Stonehenge will remain open as normal and visitors will be able to observe up close the excavation as it happens on plasma screens inside a special marquee.

BBC Timewatch and Smithsonian Networks will fund the project.