WEIRD NEWS OF THE WEEK: The riddle of Stonehenge solved... It's a massive xylophone!

The stone monument dating back to 2,500BC may have put the rock in rock'n'roll.

17:24 06 March 2014

Stonehenge is one of history's greatest monuments and mysteries. Why was it created? Why were the stones hauled 200 miles to that spot and erected in such a way? Now there's a new theory: it's actually a massive musical instrument.

Those of you who have seen Spinal Tap will be well aware of Stonehenge's rock and roll connotations, but now there's a similar theory being sung by scientists after a team spent months tapping stones onto hundreds of different types of rock to chart their tonal possibilities.

Paul Devereux, who led the research team from London's Royal College of Art with Jon Wozencroft, said: "Why the hell would you take them from Wales all the way to Salisbury otherwise?

"The one thing that hasn't been considered until now is that sound may have been an important factor. We found it was a noteworthy soundscape, with a significant percentage of the actual rocks making metallic sounds like bells, gongs, tin drums etc when tapped with small, handheld 'hammerstones.'

"The stones may have been thought to have magical qualities because of their exceptional sonic nature. We have had percussionists up here who have been able to actually get proper tunes out of the rocks. This is real rock music."

English Heritage allowed the team to 'play' Stonehenge by acoustically testing the bluestones at the site, at which point the team noticed how massive the range was.

The stones' "exceptional sonic nature" could well explain their presence in the large outdoor venue. Was Stonehenge the Glastonbury of its day?