The Durrington Bluestone Object and the MOD Durrington Excavation

Durrington bluestone object by Wessex Archaeology on Sketchfab

"The ‘bluestone’ object is a bifacial lithic with polishing and flaking. It was found in a possibly Romano-British feature, next to two Late Neolithic posthole alignments at MOD Durrington. It resembles objects made out of ‘bluestone’, the same as some of the Stonehenge stones. A number of ‘bluestone’ objects have been found across the Stonehenge Landscape, even though not local to the geology.

It is unknown when the object was created, or how it came to be buried at Durrington. Its proximity to the Neolithic posthole alignments could suggest a similar prehistoric date. However, the association with the Romano-British feature could suggest a later curation of the artefact, taken as a memento or trophy.

A section was taken to identify the geology of the rock and shows its original midnight blue colour when it was freshly made. The exterior surface is the result of 4500 years of weathering and wear."

More info on the MOD Durrington Dig is found on Wessex Archaeology's website.

And the book of excavation is available:

Along Prehistoric Lines: Neolithic, Iron Age and Romano-British activity at the former MOD Headquarters, Durrington, Wiltshire [Paperback]

Steve Thompson (Author); Andrew Powell (Author)

SBN: 9781911137047 | Published by: Wessex Archaeology | Series: Wessex Archaeology Occasional Paper | Year of Publication: 2018 | Language: English 130p, H297 x W210 (mm) 39 colour/B/W figures and 25 plates

An excavation in 2010–12 on the site of the former Ministry of Defence (MoD) Headquarters in Durrington, Wiltshire, revealed evidence spanning the post-glacial to the post-medieval periods. It lies immediately north-east of the Stonehenge part of the Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites World Heritage Site. The significant discoveries made during the excavation include a relatively deeply buried Late Glacial Allerød soil, and a zone of Late Neolithic activity centred on a number of natural solution hollows, posthole alignments and pit groups. The Late Iron Age defences, probably constructed in the immediate pre-Conquest period and decommissioned soon after, influenced the layout of early Romano-British fields and settlement activiAn excavation in 2010–12 on the site of the former Ministry of Defence (MoD) Headquarters in Durrington, Wiltshire, revealed evidence spanning the post-glacial to the post-medieval periods. It lies immediately north-east of the Stonehenge part of the Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites World Heritage Site. The significant discoveries made during the excavation include a relatively deeply buried Late Glacial Allerød soil, and a zone of Late Neolithic activity centred on a number of natural solution hollows, posthole alignments and pit groups. The Late Iron Age defences, probably constructed in the immediate pre-Conquest period and decommissioned soon after, influenced the layout of early Romano-British fields and settlement activity.