Research into a humble molar from the jawbone of a cow may have brought scientists a little closer to unlocking one of the chief mysteries of Stonehenge: just how our Stone Age predecessors transported the monument’s vast bluestones all the way from South Wales to Wiltshire.
The jawbone in question was unearthed in 1924 by the south entrance to Stonehenge. It was dated to the very beginnings of the stone circle – 2995 to 2900 BCE – and had evidently been placed there quite deliberately for some as yet unknown purpose.
A scientific paper just published in the Journal of Archaeological Science reports that, using advanced isotope analysis on a single tooth from that jawbone, researchers from the British Geological Survey (BGS), Cardiff University and University College London have been able to reveal some extraordinary details about this cow’s life and, in turn, the ancient monument with which she has become inextricably linked.
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They did so by slicing the third molar tooth horizontally into nine sections. The third molar records chemical signals from the second year of life, so by taking readings of the oxygen, carbon, strontium and lead isotopes, the researchers were able to build up a picture of what happened to the cow during that period.
Each element offered up a separate piece of evidence. The oxygen isotopes indicated that the tooth had captured about half a year of growth, from winter into summer. The carbon isotopes pointed to the animal having changed its diet over that time: feeding in woodlands over the winter before heading out to pasture in the summer.
Meanwhile, the strontium isotopes showed that the cow’s food had come from different geological areas – so either it had moved or its winter fodder had been brought to it. Finally, the lead isotopes revealed that the cow had come from a location with Palaeozoic rocks. It just so happens that the bluestones of Stonehenge come from an area of Palaeozoic rocks: the Preseli Hills.
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Professor Jane Evans, BGS Honorary Research Associate, explained, "This study has revealed unprecedented details of six months in a cow’s life, providing the first evidence of cattle movement from Wales as well as documenting dietary changes and life events that happened around 5000 years ago."
Michael Parker Pearson, professor of British later prehistory at University College London, went a little further: "This is yet more fascinating evidence for Stonehenge’s link with south-west Wales. It raises the tantalising possibility that cattle helped to haul the stones."
If our ancestors did indeed call on some bovine assistance to shift the bluestones, it’s nice to think that they may have recognised this one cow’s heroic efforts by burying a little part of her in a place of honour.
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