Ancient Builders May Have Schlepped Stonehenge’s Altar Stone All the Way From Scotland

Stonehenge is among the astir iconic locations successful England, but it whitethorn person a wee spot of Scottish ancestry.

Previous investigation of the rocks that comprise Stonehenge bespeak they had been sourced from respective places. The larger stones, known arsenic sarsens, measurement up to 30 tons, and originated from a quarry astir 16 miles (25 kilometers) from the site. The smaller rocks, called bluestones, measurement betwixt 2 and 5 tons, and originated successful Wales, astir 140 miles (225 kilometers) away, though whether they were transported by humans oregon glaciers remains contested.

Now, a caller study, published successful the diary Nature may person solved 1 of the remaining Stonehenge mysteries: the root of the megalithic structure’s Altar Stone.

The Altar Stone, oregon Stone 80, arsenic it’s known successful world circles, is the largest of Stonehenge’s non-sarsen rocks. It lies partially submerged successful the ground, stuck beneath 2 of the bluestones. A erstwhile geological survey of the Altar Stone confirmed that, dissimilar the surrounding stones, it did not originate from Wales.

To fig retired wherever it had travel from, a squad of geologists led by Anthony Clark, a PhD pupil astatine Australia’s Curtin University, looked astatine the property and chemistry of zircon, apatite, and rutile grains taken from 2 fragments. The zircon, they found, dated backmost astir 1 cardinal years, portion the apatite and rutile were comparatively younger astatine 470 cardinal years old. That creation doesn’t lucifer immoderate of the different Stonehenge rocks. What it does lucifer is rocks successful bluish Scotland’s Orcadian Basin, astir 466 miles (750 kilometers) distant from Stonehenge connected Salisbury Plain, which is 85 miles (137 kilometers) westbound of London.

“These findings are genuinely remarkable—they overturn what had been thought for the past century,” said Richard Bevins, an honorary prof astatine Aberystwyth University, who worked connected the study, successful a statement. “We person succeeded successful moving out, if you like, the property and chemic fingerprints of possibly 1 of the astir celebrated of stones successful the world-renowned past monument.”

The researchers noted that the intent of their survey was lone to find the origins of the 6-ton Altar Stone, and not however it was transported. However, they observed that, fixed the distances and weights involved, determination would beryllium evident difficulties successful bringing it by land. They besides ruled retired glaciers arsenic a transport vehicle, observing that crystal sheets successful that country had drifted north, not south. Instead, it’s much apt that the Altar Stone was moved by humans via the sea. That decision indicates that Neolithic societies successful the portion whitethorn person been much analyzable than antecedently thought.

“Transporting specified monolithic cargo overland from Scotland to confederate England would person been highly challenging, indicating a apt marine shipping way on the seashore of Britain,” said Chris Kirkland, a geochronology prof astatine Curtin University, who besides worked connected the study. “This implies long-distance commercialized networks and a higher level of societal enactment than is wide understood to person existed during the Neolithic play successful Britain.”

Stonehenge has agelong been an entity of fascination for archaeologists. Its past stretches backmost arsenic acold arsenic 8500 BCE, and enactment connected its celebrated monuments began astir 5,000 years ago. Its intent remains a taxable of debate, though immoderate scholars judge it was meant to beryllium a memorial site.

While the insubstantial casts caller airy connected Stonehenge’s origins, its aboriginal appears to beryllium secure. In July, the British authorities nixed a planned road enlargement that would person included a passageway nether portion of the site. Critics had agelong criticized the plan, arguing it would airs a menace to Stonehenge’s geology, and to immoderate unfound archaeological treasures.