University of Brighton professor up for major award after Stonehenge discoveries

Nash – who is Professor of Physical Geography in the university’s School of Environment and Technology – and his team have been nominated after discovering major new details about one of Britain's most iconic ancient sites, Stonehenge. The global renown of the famous standing stones has led to his findings drawing media interest from around the world.

"It was a genuine surprise to be nominated for a Current Archaeology Award, and especially one as prestigious as 'Research Project of the Year',” said Professor Nash. “The fact that this award will be voted on by the public is even better."

The two-year investigation by Professor Nash's team discovered where most of the large stones that make up Stonehenge's iconic main sarsen circle and inner trilithon horseshoe came from. The team pinpointed their origin to West Woods on the edge of the Marlborough Downs, around 15 miles north of the famous stone circle on Salisbury Plains in Wiltshire.

Professor Nash's team turned to geochemistry to discover that 50 of the 52 sarsen stones at Stonehenge share a consistent chemistry, pointing strongly to a common source. By comparing the geochemical signature of small fragments of a core taken from one of the site's towering sarsen stones – Stone 58 – with data for stones across southern Britain, Nash and his team were able to pinpoint the source to West Woods.

Dr Jake Ciborowski analysing a sarsen lintel stone using a portable x ray fluorescence spectrometer. Image by David Nash

Professor Dave Nash analysing the sarsen core extracted from Stone 58 at Stonehenge. Photo by Sam Frost, English Heritage

His findings may finally settle an archaeology question going back over 400 years. “Archaeologists and geologists have been debating where the sarsen stones used to build Stonehenge came from for more than four centuries,” explains Professor Nash. “This significant new data will help explain how the monument was constructed and, perhaps, offer insights into the routes by which the stones were transported.”

The results of the research were also a pleasing surprise, admits Professor Nash. “When we started, I don't think any of us believed we would be able to identify the location where so many of the large sarsen stones used to build the monument were extracted.”

About the awards

The Current Archaeology Awards celebrate projects covered by the magazine over the past year, highlighting those deemed to have made the most outstanding contributions to archaeology. Though experts have selected the nominees, winners will be chosen entirely by online public vote. Voting is now open at the magazine's website archaeology.co.uk/vote.

Background details

Professor Nash and colleagues Dr Jake Ciborowski and Dr Georgios Maniatis from the School of Environment and Technology undertook the study as part of a project funded by the British Academy and the grant-making foundation the Leverhulme Trust. Partners in the project included Susan Greaney (English Heritage), Katy Whitaker (Historic England), Professor Timothy Darvill (Bournemouth University) and Professor Mike Parker Pearson (University College London).

To vote visit Current Archaeology Awards page, voting closes on the 8 February 2021 and results will be announced on the 26 February 2021.

Read the full Science Advances paper.