Stonehenge was ‘alien construction site’ or eerie ‘ancient burial ground’ – most bizarre conspiracy theories revealed
A MAJOR Stonehenge breakthrough has just been made as scientists have finally located the origin of the monument's giant rocks.
The mystery surrounding Stonehenge has led to many conspiracy theories over the years ranging from the supernatural to simply odd.
We've rounded up some of the most bizarre below, including sex symbol and alien theories.
Giant sex symbol
One of the more obscure theories regarding Stonehenge is the idea that it's an ancient sex symbol designed to represent a vagina.
The Guardian previously reported on this theory from gynaecologist Anthony Perks.
He was quoted saying: "There was a concept in Neolithic times of a great goddess or Earth Mother.
"Stonehenge could represent the opening by which the Earth Mother gave birth to the plants and animals on which ancient people so depended."
Ancient burial ground
Some theories suggest Stonehenge was an elite burial ground.
Bone fragments were found at the site centuries ago.
However, they weren't regarded as unimportant and were reburied.
Archaeologists recently found 50,000 cremated bone fragments, which make up 63 men, women and children from 3000 BC.
Alien construction site
Conspiracy theories connecting aliens to Stonehenge are quite common.
We don't have concrete evidence to prove how the monument was built so some people think aliens lent a helping hand.
Some of the stones weigh around 50 tons, which would have been an epic struggle to move with primitive tools.
Erich von Däniken's seminal book Chariots of the Gods? suggests that God-like aliens provided the know-how.
Ancient corporate team-building exercise
If you've ever had to partake in an exhausting team-building exercise then it probably still pales in comparison to having to build Stonehenge.
Some researchers think that the site's construction coincides with increased unity amongst Neolithic people in Britain.
University College London researcher Mike Parker Pearson once revealed: "Stonehenge itself was a massive undertaking, requiring the labor of thousands to move stones from as far away as west Wales, shaping them and erecting them
"Just the work itself, requiring everything literally to pull together, would have been an act of unification."
What's the new Stonehenge discovery?
Modern scanning tech has traced the hulking sandstone boulders that make up Stonehenge to a site in Wiltshire.
Archaeologists think most of the larger stones – known as "sarsens" – were quarried in West Woods, just 15 miles away from Stonehenge.
That's in contrast to the smaller "bluestones", which were taken from the Preseli Hills in Wales – around 180 miles away.
It's been long suspected that the large sarsen stones were taken from the Marlborough Downs, west of London.
And this new study confirms the exact area in the Downs where the stones were taken from.
Scientists who worked on the project say it was previously impossible to make this discovery.
What is Stonehenge?
What you need to know about Britain's most mysterious monument
- Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument in Wiltshire
- It's a ring of standing stones that measure around 13 feet high and seven feet wide
- Each stone weighs roughly 25 tons
- Experts say that the monument was constructed between 3000 and 2000 BC
- In 1882, it was legally protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument
- And in 1986, the site and surroundings became a UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Stonehenge itself is owned by the Crown and managed by English Heritage
- But the land around Stonehenge is owned by the National Trust
- Part of what makes Stonehenge so mysterious is that it was produced by a culture with no written records
- Scientists regularly debate over how and why Stonehenge was built, and what it was used for
- One theory suggests Stonehenge was a sacred burial site
- Another proposes that it was used for celestial and astronomical alignments
- And some think it was an ancient place of healing
- It used to be believed that it was created as a Druid temple
- But we now know that Stonehenge predated the Druids by around 2000 years
Most read in Science
In other news, a hidden ‘treasure trove’ of WW2 silver has been unearthed at a 600-year-old castle used by Nazis.
Remains of a suspected 'Amazon warrior' have been identified as a girl no older than 13 years old.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
A decapitated skeleton buried in an kneeling position has been discovered in central China.
Which conspiracy theory is your favourite? Let us know in the comments...
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online Tech & Science team? Email us at tech@the-sun.co.uk