Post by CMF Newsman on Sept 23, 2008 8:01:33 GMT -5
LONDON (Reuters) - Archaeologists probing the secrets of Stonehenge, Britain's most famous prehistoric monument, said on Monday it may have been an ancient pilgrimage site for the sick who believed its stones had healing qualities.
It has always been a mystery why bluestones, the smaller stones that form part of the circle, were transported around 155 miles from Preseli Hills in Wales to Wiltshire in southern England.
Archaeologists from Bournemouth University, who carried out the dig in April -- the first at Stonehenge since 1964 -- believe the bluestones were revered as healing stones.
"It was the magical qualities of these stones which ... transformed the monument and made it a place of pilgrimage for the sick and injured of the Neolithic world," a statement from the archaeologist team said.
news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080922/sc_nm/britain_stonehenge_dc;_ylt=AsPoGcCVK19MfjRtum76GgsDW7oF
