Tuesday 3rd February 2026 Zoom Only
Investigating the Origin of the Stonehenge Bluestones and Population Migration
Dr Daisy Spencer, Palaeoenvironmental Researcher, University of Galway
| This talk will discuss the results of a recent research project on prehistoric landscape change around the sources of Stonehenge’s bluestones in Preseli, SW Wales. Detailed palaeoecological analysis was undertaken on sediment core sequences from heathland on the slopes of the Preseli HIlls and on spot samples from five nearby excavated prehistoric sites, allowing for an interpretation of local environmental change from the Holocene to the Late Bronze Age in this important archaeological area and considering if the movement of the bluestones to Stonehenge around 3000 BC (considered to be Stonehenge’s first stage) was accompanied by emigration from that area of Wales. | Daisy is an Associate Professor in Palaeobotany (Palynology) at the Museum of Archaeology in Stavanger. She currently carries out pollen investigations of excavated sites in the county of Rogaland in SW Norway. Before that Daisy worked as a pollen specialist and archaeologist in Ireland. Originally from Yorkshire, Daisy began her career as an archaeologist in England and used to enjoy long childhood summer holidays in Swaledale! She has excavated across the UK, Channel Islands, Greece, Libya and Egypt. |
Please let me know if you wish to attend so we can send you the Zoom link.