Stonehenge’s Early Construction Linked to Welsh Cattle Through Tooth Analysis
A 3,000-year-old cow’s tooth found near Stonehenge, dating to 2995-2900 BC, shows the animal originated in Wales. This supports the theory that cattle were used to haul massive stones from Wales to Salisbury Plain. Isotope analysis revealed the cow’s lead and carbon isotopes indicate a diet from older Palaeozoic rocks in Wales before moving to Stonehenge. Researchers from the British Geological Survey, Cardiff University, and University College London found the jawbone was placed in a specific part of Stonehenge’s earliest ring structure, suggesting ritual significance. The tooth’s lead composition points to Wales as the cow’s likely origin, as Palaeozoic rocks are rare outside Britain, with Wales being the nearest source. This discovery adds to evidence that Neolithic people transported stones from Wales to Stonehenge using cattle or oxen, though the exact method remains unclear. The study highlights the animal’s role in early Stonehenge construction.