Based on the mineral composition of the Altar Stone, researchers believe it may have come from Scotland and was thus transported more than 450 miles around 5,000 years ago.
Debbie Grap/UnsplashStonehenge, the mysterious Neolithic monument located in Wiltshire, England.
Stonehenge is one of the world’s most enduring mysteries. Though it’s stood for nearly 5,000 years, much about its construction has remained elusive, as has its purpose. However, a recent study is shedding some light on the origins of this ancient wonder.
According to new research, Stonehenge’s Altar Stone, which lies at the heart of the monument, was likely transported more than 450 miles from northeastern Scotland thousands of years ago. This would have been quite a feat, as the Altar Stone weighs a whopping 13,000 pounds, making it the largest of the bluestones used to build Stonehenge.
This latest theory is now raising new questions about Neolithic transportation and collaboration between ancient Britons.
Where Did Stonehenge’s Altar Stone Come From?
To determine the origin of Stonehenge’s Altar Stone, researchers studied the age and chemistry of mineral grains within fragments of the rock, which is 16 feet long. They found that the general composition of the Altar Stone aligns more with sandstone found in Scotland, which is distinctly different from sandstone found in Wales, where the other bluestones originated.
Clarke, A.J.I., Kirkland, C.L., Bevins, R.E. et al.Analysis of the composition of Stonehenge’s Altar Stone.
“Our analysis found specific mineral grains in the Altar Stone are mostly between 1,000 to 2,000 million years old, while other minerals are around 450 million years old,” said Ph.D. student Anthony Clarke, who led the study, in a press release from Curtin University. “This provides a distinct chemical fingerprint suggesting the stone came from rocks in the Orcadian Basin, Scotland, at least 750 kilometers (466 miles) away from Stonehenge.”
Clarke and his colleagues published their findings in the journal Nature, writing that “comparisons to sedimentary packages throughout Britain and Ireland reveal a remarkable similarity to the Old Red Sandstone of the Orcadian Basin in northeast Scotland.”
“Given its Scottish origins,” said Clarke, “the findings raise fascinating questions, considering the technological constraints of the Neolithic era, as to how such a massive stone was transported over vast distances around 2600 B.C.E.”
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How Neolithic Humans Transported The Massive Altar Stone From Scotland
For centuries, scholars have debated who built Stonehenge, how they erected it, and what the monument’s purpose was. Now, they can add a new question to their list: How did ancient Britons move a six-ton stone nearly 500 miles?
The implications of transporting such a massive megalith over a great distance are many. For starters, technology in the Neolithic period was vastly inferior to even the technology of 2,000 years ago.
“Our discovery of the Altar Stone’s origins highlights a significant level of societal coordination during the Neolithic period and helps paint a fascinating picture of prehistoric Britain,” said study co-author Professor Chris Kirkland. “Transporting such massive cargo overland from Scotland to southern England would have been extremely challenging, indicating a likely marine shipping route along the coast of Britain.”
Nick Pearce/Aberystwyth UniversityStonehenge’s Altar Stone lies beneath two other collapsed megaliths.
“This implies long-distance trade networks and a higher level of societal organization than is widely understood to have existed during the Neolithic period in Britain,” Kirkland continued.
If their findings are accurate, they could reshape the modern understanding of Neolithic Britain. It would paint an image of a vastly different ancient world, one that was far more organized — and social — than previously believed.
“This discovery also holds personal significance for me,” said Clarke. “I grew up in the Mynydd Preseli, Wales, where some of Stonehenge’s stones came from. I first visited Stonehenge when I was one year old and now at 25, I returned from Australia to help make this scientific discovery — you could say I’ve come full circle at the stone circle.”
After reading about this new study into Stonehenge’s origins, go inside the stories behind the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Then, learn about how the pyramids were built.
