Beyond Stonehenge: Carn Menyn Quarry and the origin and date of bluestone extraction in the Preseli Hills of south-west Wales

New research reveals that bluestone extraction at Carn Menyn, a key source for Stonehenge's smaller standing stones, began as early as the 7th millennium BC, predating the construction of Stonehenge by several millennia. This challenges previous assumptions about the origin and timing of bluestone quarrying, suggesting that Mesolithic communities were the first to exploit the region's dolerite outcrops. The study combines fieldwork evidence, including debris analysis and pillar-like block production, with radiometric dating to trace the geological and chronological history of this remote upland site in south-west Wales.

Darvill, T., & Wainwright, G. (2014). Beyond Stonehenge: Carn Menyn Quarry and the origin and date of bluestone extraction in the Preseli Hills of south-west Wales. Antiquity, 88(342), 1099–1114. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0003598x00115340