A decade-long archaeological quest reveals that the oldest stones of Stonehenge originally belonged to a much earlier sacred site: a stone circle built on a rugged, remote hillside in West Wales. Using the latest tools of geotechnology, a dedicated team of archaeologists led by Professor Mike Parker Pearson (University College London) painstakingly searched for the evidence that would fill in a 400-year gap in our knowledge of the site’s bluestones. Secrets of the Dead reveals the original stones of Europe’s most iconic Neolithic monument had a previous life before they were moved almost 155 miles from Wales to Salisbury Plain.
Film Interviewees
- Mike Parker Pearson – University College London
- Richard Bevins – National Museum Wales
- Jane Evans – British Geological Survey
- Luke Winter – Historic Concepts Ltd.
- James Dilley – AncientCraft
- Kate Welham – Bournemouth University
- Dave Shaw – Dig Supervisor
- Simon Turner – Bluestone Brewing Co.
- Chris Crump – Student Archaeologist
- Tim Kinnaird – University of St. Andrews
- Clive Ruggles – University of Leicester
Secrets of the Dead: The First Circle of Stonehenge is a Tomos TV production, in association with the BBC, ARTE France, Raw Cut Distribution, and The WNET Group. Written and directed by Pete Chinn. Narrated by Jay O. Sanders. Steve Warr is executive producer for Raw Cut. For Secrets of the Dead: Benjamin Phelps is supervising producer. Stephanie Carter is executive producer. Stephen Segaller is executive in charge.
Funding for Secrets of the Dead is provided by public television viewers.
