Our major plans for the future are twofold. We would like to see soil tests done at Stonehenge to determine if grain was worked at the site in ancient times. Also, we plan to someday build a full-size working model of the Stonehenge windmill.
SOIL TESTS
The granary at Stonehenge theory is unique in that it may be provable by soil tests. In order to do so, it would be necessary to test for grain residue in the deep soil under the monument and compare the results to similar tests done in the surrounding countryside.
Currently, archaeologists can detect grain residue trapped in the matrix of ancient pottery. This ancient grain residue does not survive in ordinary soil. However, the deep soil under Stonehenge is pure chalk and may contain traces of grain residue trapped in the chalk matrix.
Many samples of this chalk layer would have to be taken in the countryside outside of Stonehenge to determine the natural background level of residue from naturally growing grain and grass. This background level would then be compared to the levels of grain residue at the Stonehenge site. If the site levels were higher than the background levels, it would prove that grain was worked at Stonehenge in ancient times.
There are dozens of types of scientific tests for grain residue on ancient pottery, but it is not certain if a current test is available for the deep chalk layer under Stonehenge. We may have to wait for archaeologists and soil scientists to develop the proper tests. The science of testing for grain residue is only a couple of decades old and the last excavations done at Stonehenge were in 1964. Stay tuned.
