A New Explanation for Stonehenge

There have been all sorts of explanations for Stonehenge over the years. An astrological calendar, a healing site, a burial ground, or that the prehistoric monument was built as a tribute to the solstices.

Now, a study from the Royal College of Art in London suggests a new possibility: The monument was built to make music because when struck, the stones sound like a bell. Researchers were given permission from the English government and had musicians play percussion pieces off the rocks.

They got sound all right with researchers believing that Stonehenge seems to be made specifically of ringing rocks. And they weren’t the first to notice. The rocks at Stonehenge sound so much like a bell, that churches in the area used them as their bells until the 1700s.

Even though no one really knows why it was built, Stonehenge continues to amaze millions no matter what theory you believe.