(CNN) – Hoping to solve one of the biggest mysteries about the iconic standing stone, geologists have moved the search for the origins of Stonehenge’s central Altar Stone to Scotland after recent research redirected the search from Wales.
But in a surprising twist, new analysis suggests the stone did not originate in Orkney, an archipelago off the northeast coast of Scotland that is home to 5,000-year-old Neolithic sites.
The findings, published September 5 in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reportscome on the heels of a study published in August that pointed to northeastern Scotland as the likely origin of the Altar Stone. This research, published in the journal Natureoverturned a centuries-old idea that the stone came from present-day Wales.
The Altar Stone, the largest of the blue stones used to build Stonehenge, lies at the heart of this ancient monument in southern England. The 13,227-pound (6-ton) block was likely transported more than 435 miles (700 kilometers) from northeastern Scotland nearly 5,000 years ago, possibly by sea. But the stone’s purpose remains a mystery.
A geological team, which included many of the same authors of the Natureexamined Neolithic stones at two well-known historic monuments on Mainland, the largest island of Orkney, which were similar in size and rock type to the Altar Stone. But the analysis did not detect any connection.
“The mystery of where the stone came from is becoming increasingly clearer as we begin to rule out specific areas in northeastern Scotland,” said the study’s lead author, Richard Bevins, an honorary professor in the department of geography and science. Earth at Aberystwyth University, United Kingdom, in a statement.
“This research is radically changing the way we think about the origins of the Altar Stone. “It is exciting to know that our chemical analysis and dating work is slowly revealing this great mystery.”
Putting together an old puzzle
Construction of Stonehenge began as early as 3000 BC and took place in several phases, according to previous research, and the Altar Stone is believed to have been placed within the central horseshoe during the second phase of construction, around 2620 BC. to 2480 BC
Over the years, significant research has been carried out into the types of stone used to assemble the iconic circle in Wiltshire, England, and previous analyzes have shown that bluestones, a type of fine-grained sandstone, were used in the construction. and blocks of silicified sandstone called sarsens. The landmark is located at the southern end of Salisbury Plain, which was inhabited between 5,000 and 6,000 years ago.
The sarsens came from West Woods near Marlborough, about 15 miles (25 kilometers) away, while some of the bluestones originated in the Preseli Hills area of west Wales and are believed to have been the first stones in be placed on site.
“The Altar Stone is anomalous in many ways with both the bluestones and the sarsens at Stonehenge,” Bevins said. “It stands in an unusual position on the monument, occupying an almost central location and not within either the Bluestone Circle or the Bluestone Horseshoe. It is also greenish-gray sandstone, unlike all other types of bluestone rocks.”
Bevins has been researching Stonehenge for 15 years and his quest to understand the origins of its stones has taken him across England and Wales. But discovering that Wales was unlikely to be the place of origin of the Altar Stone was a turning point, Bevins said.
“Suddenly, we had no restrictions in our thinking about the origin of the Altar Stone, opening up entirely new avenues for research and exploration,” Bevins said by email.
Searching for answers in Scotland
The search took researchers to the mainland to conduct field work in June 2023.
“The evidence for distant links between Orkney and Stonehenge is partly related to the exchange of certain styles of material culture,” Bevins said.
The long-standing link between Stonehenge and Orkney includes styles of decorated pottery and similar architecture of ancient dwellings found at both sites, Bevins said.
The team brought portable The Ring of Brodgar is a huge ceremonial stone circle dating back to the third millennium BC. C., and the Stenness Stones were once a circle of 12 stones with a central hearth built more than 5,000 years ago, one of the oldest monuments in the British Isles.
The researchers compared their findings with samples of the Altar Stone and found no connection between the minerals in the rocks.
But the study indicates that the Altar Stone is still likely to have come from other parts of north-east Scotland, presenting a wide search area for the team to investigate in the future. The stone’s origin could be anywhere between “Orkney and Shetland, through parts of Caithness and Sutherland, to Inverness and then east to Aberdeenshire,” Bevins said.
Identifying the origin of the Altar Stone could help researchers establish a deeper understanding of Britain’s Neolithic history and the people who built Stonehenge, as well as how advanced they were.
“As an academic, Stonehenge has fascinated me for decades,” Bevins said. “My other team colleagues and I will continue to work to determine exactly where the Altar Stone comes from in the north-east of Scotland.”
