The pair were the first scientists allowed to dig inside the World Heritage site in 44 years in a project funded by BBC Timewatch and Smithsonian Networks.The dig unearthed about 100 blue stone pieces from the original bluestone sockets, now buried underneath the monument. The archaeologists said radiocarbon dating established that the central blue stones were brought to the Salisbury site at 2300 BC - 300 years later than previously thought.
'We told the world we were going to date Stonehenge. That was a risk, but I was always confident,' Professor Darvill of Bournemouth University told the BBC.
Professor Darvill and Professor Wainwright said they believed Stonehenge was a centre of healing. They found an 'abnormal number' or corpses showing signs of serious diseases nearby. An analysis of teeth found around half of those who died were not native to the area.
'Stonehenge would attract not only people who were unwell, but people who were capable of (healing) them,' Professor Darvill told the BBC. 'Therefore, in a sense, Stonehenge becomes 'the A & E' of southern England.'
He added that people remained interested in the magical, healing qualities of thestones for many hundreds of years afterwards. Their excavation uncovered fragments of stone which could have been used as lucky charms. Professor Darvill said 60 per cent of the smaller blue stones was broken off, compared with just five to 10 per cent of the large, iconic Sarsen stones.
'Taking those pieces to become talisman, lucky charms, to be used in the healing process is very important,' he said.
Source: Daily Mail