Could an ancient cow's tooth unlock the origins of Stonehenge?

Isotopic analysis of a third molar from a cow jawbone placed beside Stonehenge's entrance dated to 2995–2900 BCE indicates the animal began life in Wales. Lead isotope composition spikes during late winter to spring point to older lead drawn from the mother's skeleton during pregnancy, reflecting Palaeozoic rock sources older than about 400 million years. Those rock signatures occur primarily in Wales, the Lake District, and Scotland, with Wales the nearest match. The jawbone's deliberate placement at the earliest ring entrance implies ritual deposition. The Welsh origin of the animal supports the possibility that cattle were used as beasts of burden to move bluestones roughly 125 miles to Salisbury Plain.

A cow's tooth from a jawbone deliberately placed beside the entrance to Stonehenge at the Neolithic monument's very beginning in 2995 to 2900 BCE could offer tantalising new evidence about how the stones were transported about 125 miles from Wales to Salisbury Plain. Analysis of the third molar tooth showed the animal began life in Wales, adding weight to a theory that cows were used as beasts of burden in hauling the enormous stones across the country.

Researchers from the British Geological Survey (BGS), Cardiff University and University College London found lead isotopes revealed composition spikes during the late winter to spring, pointing to a source that was older than the metal in the rest of the tooth. This was due to the cow, during pregnancy, drawing on lead already in its skeleton to create the calf, it is thought.

That lead suggested the cow originated from an area with Palaeozoic rocks, such as the bluestones found in Wales, before moving to Stonehenge. It tells us that very early in its life it incorporated lead into its skeleton and that lead was from old Palaeozoic rocks, older than about 400m years old. Those types of rocks crop up primarily in Britain in Wales, which is the nearest supply, and also in the Lake District and Scotland, said Prof Jane Evans, a BGS honorary research associate.

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