New Stonehenge Theory Reveals Ancient Rocks Hold 'Sonic Secret'

Stonehenge is estimated to have existed since 3100 B.C. Its three phases of construction required over thirty million hours of labor and its history has been subject to much speculation and constantly emerging theories.

Research conducted at the Royal College of Art in London has found that the Stonehenge monuments possess a "sonic secret" and that the rocks have acoustic properties. The specific rocks that are believed to have these characteristics are the bluestones, which were supposedly brought from Pembrokeshire in Wales' Preseli Hills during the second stage of Stonehenge's construction.

When hit with a hammerstone, these rocks from the Preseli Hills area issue a metallic sound relative to a bell or gong. The researchers from the Royal College of Art in London said they tested thousands of rocks and a majority of them rang like a bell, according to this BBC News article. It's possible that these rocks were deliberately brought to Stonehenge because of their acoustic properties.

The second stage of Stonehenge's construction is called "The Arrival of the Bluestones." This period began around 2150 B.C. when about 82 bluestones from the Preseli Mountains were transported to the site in Wiltshire. It's unclear whether the stones were brought by people or carried by a glacier because they were 4 tons in weight. The journey covered 240 miles and took place on the south coast of Wales up the rivers Avon and Frome.

In the final stage, the bluestones were rearranged in the present-day horseshoe circle. The number of stones at the site is closer to 60, because over time some have been removed or have diminished. Despite the historic value of these stones, the researchers were granted permission to test the actual Stonehenge stones for their study. They found that the stones emitted a slightly muted sound, most likely because of their age.

The researchers from the Royal College of Art hope to conduct more studies, specifically focusing on the strike marks that they found on the Stonehenge bluestones. To read more about Stonehenge and the Preseli Hills bluestones, visit this Fox News article as well as the official Stonehenge website.