New research reveals secrets behind Stonehenge's past
We may have more of an idea where the monument came from
The remains of an ancient stone circle has been uncovered in Wales, which could be linked to Stonehenge.
The archaeologists who discovered it believe it could have been dismantled in Pembrokeshire and rebuilt as the monument we know near Salisbury.
Waun Mawn, as it has been named, was found in the Preseli Hills - the area where the small 'bluestones' at Stonehenge are known to have come from.
The team behind the discovery, suggest the stones could have been moved as the ancient people of the Preseli region migrated, even taking their monuments with them.
This would also explain why the bluestones, thought to be the first monolith erected on Salisbury Plain, were brought from so far away, while most circles are constructed a short distance from their quarries.
Also, Stonehenge's ditch has a diameter of 360ft, the same size as the Welsh circle.
Archaeological investigations as part of the 'Stones of Stonehenge' research project, led by Professor Mike Parker Pearson of University College London, previously excavated two bluestone quarries in the Preseli Hills.
They found that these had been extracted before Stonehenge was built in 3000 BC, which promoted the team to re-investigate Waun Mawn.
Only four monoliths remain in Pembrokeshire, but an archaeological dig in 2018 revealed holes where around 30-50 stones would have stood.
One of the bluestones at Stonehenge has an unusual cross-section which matches one of the holes left at Waun Mawn.
Prof Parker Pearson said:
"It’s as if they just vanished. Maybe most of the people migrated, taking their stones their ancestral identities with them. With an estimated 80 bluestones put up on Salisbury Plain at Stonehenge and nearby Bluestonehenge, my guess is that Waun Mawn was not the only stone circle that contributed to Stonehenge."
Stonehenge: The Lost Circle Revealed will be broadcast on BBC Two at 9pm tonight (Friday 12th February).