Stonehenge dig turns up new clues

Evidence could support theory that monument was a ‘prehistoric Lourdes’

Village unearthed near Stonehenge

Jan. 30, 2007: Archaeologists uncover a village that was carbon-dated to about the same time Stonehenge was built. NBC's Lester Holt reports.

updated 2:02 p.m. ET, Thurs., April. 10, 2008

Archaeologists conducting the first dig at Stonehenge in decades say they have broken through to areas that could reveal the ancient English monument's original purpose.

Based on years of study, the team believes that Stonehenge served as a religious center and a place of healing even before its famous "goal posts" were erected. "A prehistoric 'Lourdes' was set up at Stonehenge," said Geoff Wainwright, president of the Society of Antiquaries and a key proponent of the theory.

The current two-week excavation, funded by the BBC, is aimed at extracting samples from buried sockets where ancient builders placed the earliest stones erected at Stonehenge, known as bluestones. Figuring out more precisely when those stones were brought to the site could help confirm the theory that Stonehenge's builders thought the bluestones had healing powers.

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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24049973?GT1=43001