Recent analysis has revealed that the six-tonne Altar Stone at Stonehenge originated from the far north of Scotland, rather than south-west Wales as previously believed. This finding underscores the extensive collaborative effort involved in building Stonehenge, indicating that it was constructed with materials sourced from various parts of Great Britain.
The discovery suggests that Neolithic Britain was more interconnected and advanced than earlier evidence suggested, with the stone traveling approximately 700 kilometers (434 miles) from its source in Scotland to Stonehenge near Salisbury, England.
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The research, led by Welsh PhD student Anthony Clarke, now at Curtin University in Western Australia, has been published in the prestigious scientific journal Nature, marking a significant achievement for Clarke. Despite the major shift in the stone’s origin, Clarke humorously noted the potential disappointment for his Welsh roots, though he acknowledged that the remaining stones, known as bluestones, still come from Wales and the larger stones in the outer circle are from England.
The bluestones at Stonehenge were first identified as coming from Pembrokeshire in 1923 by Welsh geologist Henry Herbert Thomas. The Altar Stone, which is composed of a different rock, was previously thought to be from the same region until scientific scrutiny over the past two decades questioned its origins.
Last year, researchers, including Prof. Nick Pearce from Aberystwyth, concluded that the Altar Stone could not have come from Wales. The recent breakthrough by the Curtin University team involved analyzing the chemical composition and dating of fragments from the Altar Stone. Their findings, matched to rocks from the Orcadian Basin in north-eastern Scotland, highlighted the impressive organization and connectivity of Neolithic societies.
Construction at Stonehenge began 5,000 years ago, with ongoing changes and additions over the following two millennia. The bluestones, believed to be among the first stones placed at the site, played a key role in its early development.
Dr. Robert Ixer from University College London, who contributed to the study, found the results “shocking.” He pointed out two major questions arising from the discovery: how was the Altar Stone transported from north Scotland, over 700 kilometers away, to Stonehenge, and more intriguingly, why was it transported such a distance?
This distance represents the longest recorded journey for any stone used in ancient monuments. Prof. Pearce highlighted that the next challenge is to uncover how this monumental transport was accomplished, considering the significant physical barriers both on land and at sea.
These findings could significantly impact our understanding of Neolithic communities, their connectivity, and their transportation systems.
The new findings will be closely examined by archaeologists from English Heritage, the organization responsible for Stonehenge, according to Heather Sebire, one of the monument’s senior curators.
Sebire told to News that the discovery suggests significant social connections across Britain during that era. She expressed amazement at the effort required to transport such a large stone over such a distance, indicating that there must have been a strong motivation behind it.
She noted that the people of the time likely had a complex and advanced society with a spiritual dimension similar to modern societies.
