Remains found near Stonehenge are almost certainly of an ancient people who built the monument, excited archaeologists have revealed.
Researchers investigating the origins of the seven 4,500 year-old skeletons found buried on Salisbury Plain last year have run chemical tests to trace their origins and age.
They have concluded they are of people from south-west Wales - the same region from where bluestones forming the world-famous iconic monument originate.
Dr Andrew Fitzpatrick, of Wessex Archaeology, said: "In medieval times, people believed that the stones could only have been brought to Stonehenge by Merlin the Wizard.
"For the first time we have found the mortal remains of one of the families who were almost certainly involved in this monumental task."
The seven skeletons were found by workmen digging trenches for a housing development at Boscombe, Wiltshire, and have been dubbed the Boscombe Bowmen because of the flint arrowheads found in the graves.
Scientists say the bones of the three children, a teenager and three men are so similar they must be related.
They have tested the enamel on their teeth which as it forms in developing years, provides a unique fingerprint of where they grew up.
Tests by scientists of the British Geological Survey on the strontium isotopes in the Bowmen's teeth show that they grew up in a place where the rocks are very radioactive. This was either in the Lake District or Wales.
The finds will be on display in Salisbury Museum in the exhibition Changing Places from Saturday July 3.

Very interesting. I hope this doesn't turn out to be another Piltdown Man. "Experts" are so easily fooled & seem to believe what they want to believe.

Quote:

Yep, these circular structures are called Henges. They vary in size & are usually a circle of upright stones. Stonehenge is not the biggest henge but it's considered unique with its tongue & grooved lintels on top of the upright stones. It's not certain how this was done with the available tools or how the huge blocks of stone were hauled all the way from Wales to Salisbury Plain. One theory is that they were transported by sea.

If memory serves the largest Henge is in France, its about 10 or so times larger than Stonehenge and still no-one can divine its purpose...

Gosh that IS big
You don't think maybe this whole henge manufacturing thing was a sort of druidic phallic thing, a bit like cars are for men these days?

Possibly a joke?
You know a few druids one Saturday after sacrificing a virgin and then sinking a fell gallons of scumpy come up with the idea of knocking-up so giant stone circles just to baffle people for thousands of years to come... that kind of thing

Druids were into trees. Not rocks.
  Druids were the priest class of the Celts. They were the original "tree huggers".
Stonehenge is believed to pre-date the known celtic tribes.

Its not remotely close to a nice crinkly bit of fjord Eno