Stonehenge

British researchers think they have solved the decades-old mystery of why ancient Britons transported massive rocks 250 miles from Wales to Salisbury Plain to construct the massive but enigmatic Stonehenge monument: They believed the stones possessed healing powers.

Archeologists working near Stonehenge in England have discovered what appears to be an ancient religious complex containing a wealth of artifacts that may finally illuminate the lives and religious practices of the people who built the mysterious monument 4,600 years ago.

British archaeologists have found the remains of a massive stone henge, or ceremonial circle, that was part of the ancient and celebrated Stonehenge complex, a find that is shedding new light on how the monument was built and its religious uses. The new henge, called Bluestonehenge because it was built with blue Preseli dolerite mined more than 150 miles away in Wales, was on the banks of the River Avon, where ancient pilgrims carrying the ashes of their dead relatives began the journey from the river to Stonehenge, nearly two miles away.

The mysterious circle of stones that rises on Salisbury Plain near here has stood as an archaeological marvel for thousands of years, its origins and purpose shrouded in the mists of history. But a just-completed excavation of Stonehenge, the first within the ancient circle in more than 40 years, could provide some of the first reliable explanations for one of the greatest wonders of the prehistoric world. A team of British archaeologists hopes to prove its theory that nearly 4,000 years ago Stonehenge was regarded not as a place of sacrament for the dead, but as a temple with healing powers.

Stonehenge dig: An article in the May 4 Section A about an archaeological excavation at Stonehenge had a wrong word in a quote from Tim Darvill, one of the dig's directors: "You can make the analogy with a medieval cathedral -- it's a bog-standard Paris church until they get those relics, and at that point it becomes a beautiful, marvelous building." The quote should have read, "it's a bog-standard parish church."

Stonehenge dig: An article in Section A on May 4 about an archaeological excavation at Stonehenge had a wrong word in a quote from Tim Darvill, one of the dig's directors: "You can make the analogy with a medieval cathedral -- it's a bog-standard Paris church until they get those relics, and at that point it becomes a beautiful, marvelous building." The quote should have read, "it's a bog-standard parish church."

For the first time in a decade, Druids and other groups gathered within the encircling rocks of Stonehenge at dawn to celebrate the summer solstice. About 100 people, including members of six Druid groups, held ceremonies at the 5,000-year-old monument in southwest England. In one ceremony, Druids in white robes formed a circle in the center of the stone circle, striking a Tibetan gong to mark the dawn of the year's longest day.