According to a new study, the altar stone of the monument—a central blue stone weighing six tons—likely traveled over 700 kilometers.
For more than a century, archaeologists have known that the blue stones of Stonehenge made their way to the Salisbury Plain in southern England from Wales. However, these megaliths were somehow transported a distance of about 200 kilometers.
What Did Researchers Discover?
The new research, involving experts from Curtin University in Perth and the University of Adelaide (Australia), as well as Aberystwyth University and University College London (UK), aimed to learn more about the chemical composition of the altar stone, and thus, its true origin.
During the new analysis, scientists made a discovery they described as shocking. It turned out that the altar stone was moved from the northeast corner of Scotland, covering a distance of over 700 kilometers.
This unexpected finding, suggesting that the megalith arrived in southern England around 5,000 years ago, possibly from the area of Inverness or even the Orkney Islands, “not only changes what we knew about Stonehenge, it changes what we knew about the late Neolithic,” according to Rob Ixer, an honorary senior research fellow at University College London (UCL) and a participant in the study.
“This completely rewrites the relationships between Neolithic populations across all of the British Isles,” he told The Guardian.
What Else Is Known About the Discovery?
The altar stone is a sandstone block measuring five meters long and one meter wide. It lies at the center of Stonehenge, wedged beneath two other fallen stones. Experts classify the altar megalith as a non-local blue stone. For many years, it was believed to have been brought from somewhere in Wales, just like the other blue stones of Stonehenge, which were quarried from the Preseli Hills.
However, in recent years, researchers have increasingly questioned the Welsh origin of the altar stone.
According to Nick Pearce, a professor of geography and earth sciences at Aberystwyth University, he and his colleagues studied the chemical composition of the stone and the age of the minerals it contains. As a result, the scientists obtained what is known as a characteristic “age fingerprint” of the sandstone.
“This age fingerprint can be matched with the same type of rocks across Great Britain,” Professor Pearce explained. Thus, the team discovered that the altar stone originates from the Orkney Basin in northeast Scotland. This was a surprise for the researchers. As Nick Pearce noted, the likelihood that the stone was brought from other locations is “a fraction of a percent.”
The Mysteries of Logistics
In light of this new discovery, the most puzzling aspect is how the giant stone was transported over such a long distance.
“Given the serious land obstacles on the route from northeast Scotland to the Salisbury Plain, maritime transport is one of the likely options,” said lead author Anthony Clark.
However, archaeologist and author Mike Pitts, who wrote the book “How to Build Stonehenge,” disagrees. This expert, who did not participate in the study, believes the altar stone was more likely dragged overland rather than transported by sea.
“If you put the stone in a boat going out to sea, there’s a significant risk of losing it,” Mike Pitts said. Instead, a land journey, which could have taken many years, would have involved people in the transportation process. The stone “would become increasingly valuable as it moved south,” he added. And while this may seem impossible today, an overland journey is quite plausible considering Neolithic technologies.
“The research is fascinating and very significant. It has long been known that the blue stones come from Wales, but this discovery reveals connections to a completely different part of Britain, much farther from Stonehenge,” noted Mr. Pitts.
The results of the study were published in the journal Nature.
Stonehenge is a stone megalithic structure located in Wiltshire, about 130 kilometers from London. The monument was built in several stages between 3000 and 1520 B.C. The foundation of Stonehenge consisted of 80 five-ton megaliths, of which 43 remain. Thirty stone blocks weighing 25 tons and standing over 4 meters tall were topped with lintels measuring 3.2 meters long. In the center stood five so-called trilithons—massive P-shaped structures weighing around 50 tons. The stacked stone blocks formed arches that served as markers of the cardinal directions. Interestingly, the true purpose of the structure remains unknown. According to scientists’ hypotheses, it could have been an ancient calendar, a burial site, or a ritual place. Regardless, today, Stonehenge is a marvel of engineering and a recognized gem of British history.