A Missing Piece of Stonehenge Is Returned

One of the most famous prehistoric sites in the world is Stonehenge in England. Remarkably a piece of the monument has been returned after going astray for over six decades. It is hoped that this item can help us to solve one of the greatest mysteries of Stonehenge, namely where did its gigantic standing stones come from.

In 1958, archaeologists, “raised an entire fallen trilithon - a set of three large stones consisting of two that would have stood upright, with the third-placed horizontally across the top”, after it had fallen according to the BBC. However, during this operation, some fissures appeared on one of the upright stones, known as a sarsen stone. English Heritage decided to reinforce the block so that it would not break or fragment.

A local company drilled three holes, measuring three feet (1m) into the damaged stone, into which were inserted long steel rods. The holes were hidden using pieces from other sarsen stones. The drilling of the stone was conducted by Van Moppes, an engineering company. The three-cores were taken from the block and they measured 3 feet (1m) in length. For reasons unknown, the authorities did not retain the cores extracted from the Sarsen Stone and they disappeared

The return of the missing part of Stonehenge
Then suddenly, English Heritage was contacted by some Americans. They were the sons of Robert Phillips (89) who had helped to drill the holes into the sarsen stone in 1958. They had an amazing story to tell.

Mr. Phillips had taken and kept one of the three cores removed from Stonehenge and then had emigrated to the US in 1976. He took the item with him as he worked all over America. He has a life-long interest in archaeology and prized the core, even ‘displaying it on a wall in his office’’ reports CNN. Mr. Phillips took it to Florida when he retired, but as he neared his ninetieth year he decided that the item should be returned to its original home, Stonehenge.

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