Stonehenge was a ‘Prehistoric Centre for Rock Music’.

From dailymail.co.uk:

Stones sound like bells, drums, and gongs when played

• Rocks make metallic and wooden sounds, in many different notes
• Monoliths were moved by Stone Age man from Wales to Stonehenge
• Researchers believe their musical make-up could be why they were moved

English Heritage allowed archaeologists from Bournemouth and Bristol universities to acoustically test the bluestones at Stonehenge, effectively playing them like a huge xylophone

Stonehenge may have been built by Stone Age man as a prehistoric centre for rock music, a new study has claimed.

According to experts from London’s Royal College of Art, some of the stones sound like bells, drums, and gongs when they are ‘played’ – or hit with hammers.

Archaeologists, who have pondered why stone age man transported Bluestones 200 miles from Mynydd Y Preseli in Pembrokshire, South West Wales to Stonehenge, believe this discovery could hold the key.

The ‘sonic rocks’ could have been specifically picked because of their ‘acoustic energy’ which means they can make a variety of noises ranging from metallic to wooden sounding, in a number of notes.Research published today in the Journal of Time & Mind reveals the surprising new role for the Preseli Bluestones which make up the famous monument, and which were sourced from the Pembrokeshire landscape on and around the Carn Menyn ridge, on Mynydd Preseli, South-West Wales.

THE STONEHENGE EXPERIMENT

This experiment was the first time researchers have been able to strike – or tap – the monument to explore its sonic noise potential.

They used rounded hammers made from quartz hammerstone to strike the stones – although our ancestors might have used flint.

They tapped the stones ‘very slightly’ and could tell quickly if they would get a reverberation.

‘Different sounds can be heard in different places on the same stones,’ said the researchers.

The blue squares seen in the photos are used so that the special hammers do not leave a mark on the Bluestones.

THE STONEHENGE EXPERIMENT

This experiment was the first time researchers have been able to strike – or tap – the monument to explore its sonic noise potential.

They used rounded hammers made from quartz hammerstone to strike the stones – although our ancestors might have used flint.

They tapped the stones ‘very slightly’ and could tell quickly if they would get a reverberation.

‘Different sounds can be heard in different places on the same stones,’ said the researchers.

The blue squares seen in the photos are used so that the special hammers do not leave a mark on the Bluestones.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2515159/Why-Stonehenge-prehistoric-centre-rock-music-Stones-sound-like-bells-drums-gongs-played.html#ixzz2maltCI4F
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