New Theory: Stonehenge Created by French Sailors

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(Newswire.net— February 16, 2019) — A new archeological study suggests that the stone material used for the construction of Stonehenge could have originated from what is today the Brittany region of northwestern France, Science Magazine reports.

The report points to a single hunter gatherer society in France that existed 7000 years ago, which implies that Stonehenge is one of many intentionally marked travel sites in Europe.

So far, scientists have failed to provide a solid explanation of real the purpose of the iconic prehistoric rock structure in Wiltshire, England. One of the more widely accepted theories implies that the site was used by druids, ancient mystics, to perform rituals. A new theory suggests that the massive stone blocks were shipped from northwestern France by an ancient hunting society.

The theory that looks upon Stonehenge as a part of a greater picture suggests that the French sailors spread monoliths all around the route they were sailing marking the sites they visited, and they did so for 1,000 years.  The research reveals the people of that time had far more advanced maritime skills than we previously thought.

There are several theories of the origin of Stonehenge’s material. Anthropologists first believed that the stone was shipped from the Mediterranean or the Near East. Other theories point to other similar sites that are actually older than Stonehenge. More recently, scientists found that there are six independent locations across the Europe with stone monoliths set in some order.

Last year, a study suggested the Stonehenge was built from stones that were shipped from Wales just like the people who may have built it. However, a new theory authored by Bettina Schulz Paulsson of the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, tells a different story.

“Everyone told me, ‘You’re crazy, it can’t be done,” Schulz Paulsson told Science magazine referring to a 10 year research of 2410 historic sites around the Europe. “But I decided to do it anyway,” she told Science magazine.

To create an archeological timeline Paulsson used radiocarbon dating on human remains buried at the sites.

Northwestern France is also the only megalithic region that also features gravesites with complex earthen tombs that date to about 5000 B.C.E. Paulsson said, adding that it presents the evidence of an “evolution of megaliths” in the region.