A Cow’s Tooth Reveals Stonehenge’s Hidden Link to Wales!
A 5,000-year-old cow tooth has offered fresh insight into the origins of Stonehenge, providing new evidence of its ties to Wales and even suggesting how its enormous stones might have been transported across Britain.
The breakthrough comes from a Neolithic cow jawbone unearthed in 1924 at the southern entrance to Stonehenge. For decades, it sat largely unnoticed until researchers from University College London (UCL), Cardiff University, and the British Geological Survey re-examined it.
Their findings, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, reveal that the animal lived between 2995 and 2900 BCE, the very period when construction of Stonehenge began. Crucially, evidence points to the cow originating in Wales, the same region where the monument’s famous bluestones were quarried.
To unlock the secrets hidden in the tooth, archaeologists sliced one of its molars into nine ultra-thin sections. Each layer preserved chemical traces reflecting the cow’s diet and surroundings during its second year of life.
Oxygen isotopes revealed the tooth developed across six months, from winter to summer.
Carbon isotopes showed the animal ate woodland plants in winter and open grass in summer.
Strontium isotopes suggested the food sources came from geologically different areas, meaning the cow either migrated or was fed imported fodder.
Photo Credit: John Nail
But the most revealing clue came from the lead isotopes, which showed a sudden spike in late winter and spring. This matched the unique signature of the ancient rocks of the Preseli Hills in Pembrokeshire, the very source of Stonehenge’s bluestones.
This strengthens the idea that cattle may have played a practical role in hauling stones from Wales to Salisbury Plain.
The analysis also revealed that the cow was female and either pregnant or nursing at the time her tooth developed, confirmed by advanced peptide-based testing at the University of Manchester.
The deliberate placement of the jawbone at Stonehenge’s entrance suggests it wasn’t just discarded but held symbolic meaning. It may have served as a ritual offering, a marker of identity, or even a tribute to the role animals played in the monument’s construction.
UCL’s Professor Michael Parker Pearson highlighted the significance of the find:
“This is yet more fascinating evidence for Stonehenge’s link with south-west Wales, where its bluestones come from. It raises the tantalising possibility that cattle helped to haul the stones.”
Jane Evans of the British Geological Survey added:
“A slice of one cow tooth has told us an extraordinary tale and, as new scientific tools emerge, we hope there is still more to learn from her long journey.”
Stonehenge, standing on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, was built over many centuries, beginning around 3000 BCE and continuing into the early Bronze Age. Its purpose remains hotly debated, ranging from religious rituals to astronomical alignments.
Now, thanks to the humble remains of a Welsh cow, we know more about the people, animals, and journeys that shaped this iconic monument. It’s a reminder that even the smallest finds can change how we understand the ancient world.