Body buried at Stonehenge came from Mediterranean

[October 23, 2010]  LONDON (AP) -- Scientists say that chemical analysis of the teeth of a prehistoric teenager buried near Britain's mysterious Stonehenge monument show he came from the area around the Mediterranean Sea.

The boy's skeleton was unearthed about 3 kilometers (2 miles) southeast of Stonehenge, with a cluster of amber beads around his neck.

Dubbed "The Boy with the Amber Necklace," his skeleton was radiocarbon dated to around 1,550 B.C. The British Geological Survey's Jane Evans said Tuesday that the composition of the boy's tooth enamel shows he came from the Mediterranean region.

Stonehenge is thought to have been an important cultic site although its precise function is debated. Evans says the find shows the diversity of those who traveled there from across Europe.

[Associated Press]

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