Stonehenge and Wales connection revealed in BBC2 Lost Circle

In what has been described as "an astonishing breakthrough", and after a decade of research and years of digging, archaeologists have discovered the remains of an ancient stone circle in Wales - Waun Mawn.

This long-lost monument in the Preseli Hills marks the origins of what is now one of the world's most famous landmarks.

Dismantled, moved and then rebuilt

Professor Mike Parker Pearson, a leading expert at the forefront of Stonehenge research, has revealed that before the Welsh bluestones arrived in the site we know today, near Salisbury, they had originally formed an earlier circle that was dismantled, moved and then rebuilt.

With this revelation comes a new understanding of the different people who lived in Britain 5,000 years ago, and how they interacted with each other to build Stonehenge - 174 miles from Preseli.

Professor Mike Parker Pearson at Stonehenge - Picture Barney Rowe/ BBC. Copyright PA Media

The connection between Waun Mawn and Stonehenge

Working alongside a team of academic experts from across Britain and Europe, Professor Parker Pearson said he has been leading a Stonehenge research team since 2003, and the project in Preseli started in 2011.

He added that the first Welsh circle was at the centre of a complex of Neolithic ceremonial monuments, so Preseli was already a special place for Neolithic people.

"When the bluestones were erected at Stonehenge, around 3000 BC, people were buried alongside them" he said.

"We think they may have taken part in a migration, bringing the circle's stones as their ancestral symbols of identity to make a new start in this other special place. This extraordinary event may also have served to unite the peoples of east and west Britain."

There are several elements linking the sites in Wales and Salisbury, including both are aligned on the midsummer solstice sunrise and several of the monoliths are the same rock type.

The exclusive story of the stones and the quarry to Wiltshire will be aired on BBC 2 tonight.

READ: Why a new BBC show about Stonehenge is a must watch

Waun Mawn - Picture from Antiquity Journal. Copyright PA Media

'A second hand monument'

Speaking about the research, TV scientist Professor Alice Roberts, who hosts the latest documentary, said the archaeologists were "almost on the brink of giving up" before Waun Mawn.

She said: "They decided that they were going to dig anyway and just see if they can find anything, and they found these ghosts of stone holes.

“They were exactly the same diameter as the outer circle at Stonehenge.

“It’s just unbelievable stuff, unbelievable archaeology.

“On the one hand it shows that Stonehenge is a second-hand monument!"

She said the BBC documentary will feature the “highs and lows” before the discovery.

She added: “For a long time, it honestly didn’t look as though they were going to find anything, but to end up with this astonishing breakthrough and to have a production company there filming the whole thing over the years is just amazing.”

Professor Alice Roberts at Stonehenge - Picture by Barney Rowe/ BBC. Copyright PA Media

Monoliths from other stone circles

With only a few of the Stonehenge stones directly linked to Waun Mawn, the archaeologists also believe monoliths from other stone circles could have been taken from Wales to form part of the new monument.

Professor Parker Pearson said: “With an estimated 80 bluestones put up on Salisbury Plain at Stonehenge and nearby Bluestonehenge, my guess is that Waun Mawn was not the only stone circle that contributed to Stonehenge.

“Maybe there are more in Preseli waiting to be found. Who knows? Someone will be lucky enough to find them.”

Archaeological digs at Waun Mawn - Picture from Antiquity Journal. Copyright PA Media

'People of the Neolithic were extraordinary'

When asked what he would like viewers to take away from the documentary, Professor Parker Pearson added: "People of the Neolithic were extraordinary. Although they lived 200 generations ago, they were no less clever or determined than us. Of course, they had very different motivations which is why they are so fascinating.

"Moving hundreds of tons of big stones nearly 200 miles from the Preseli Hills to Salisbury Plain seems ridiculous because it's hard for the modern mind to understand how mere stones could have been so valuable. But it seems these megaliths weren't just luggage but powerful symbols of these people's very being."

Stonehenge: The Lost Circle Revealed will be broadcast at 9pm tonight, February 12.

Professors Alice Roberts and Mike Parker Pearson at Stonehenge - Picture by Barney Rowe/ BBC. Copyright PA Media

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