WASHINGTON (AP) — The ancient ritual significance of Stonehenge remains a mystery, but researchers have moved one step closer to understanding how the famous stone circle was formed.
The unique stone, which lies flat in the center of the monument, was brought to the site in southern England from the tip of northeast Scotland, researchers reported Wednesday in the journal Nature. It is not clear whether the 16-foot-tall stone was transported by boat or over land – a journey of more than 460 miles (740 kilometers).
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“It’s a surprise that it came from so far away,” said archaeologist Susan Greaney of the University of Exeter, who was not involved in the study.
The altar stone of the ancient monument Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain is seen beneath two larger sarsens in Wiltshire, Britain, in this undated photo taken August 14, 2024. Photo by Nick Pearce, Aberystwyth University/Handout via REUTERS
For more than a hundred years, scientists believed that the central sandstone slab of Stonehenge – long called the “Altar Stone” – came from much closer Wales. But a study by the same researchers last year showed that the stone did not fit the geology of Welsh sandstone formations. The stone’s true origins remained unknown until now.
For the study, the team was not allowed to chip away at the site. Instead, they analyzed minerals in rocks collected during previous excavations, some of which dated back to the 1840s. They found a match in the sandstone formations of the Orkney Basin in northeast Scotland, a region that includes parts of the tip of the Scottish peninsula as well as the Orkney Islands.
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“This geological ‘fingerprint’ is not replicated in any other sedimentary area in Britain,” said geologist Nick Pearce of Aberystwyth University, one of the study’s co-authors.
Greaney said the difficult logistics required to transport the stone such a long distance demonstrated a high level of coordination and cultural connection between these two regions of ancient Britain.
Top view of the stone circle of Stonehenge near Amesbury, UK, as seen in this undated image. Photo by English Heritage/A.Pattenden/Handout via REUTERS
Stonehenge was built around 5,000 years ago, with stones placed in different circles at different times on the site. The placement of the stones allows the sun to rise through a stone “window” during the summer solstice. The ancient purpose of the Altar Stone – which lies flat at the heart of Stonehenge, now beneath other rocks – remains a mystery.
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“Stonehenge is not a settlement site, but a place of ceremony or ritual,” said Heather Sebire, senior curator at English Heritage, who was not involved in the study. She said previous archaeological excavations had found no evidence of festivals or daily life at the site.
Previous research has shown that there are cultural links between the area around Stonehenge and the Scottish Orkney Islands – such as similarities in pottery style. Other stones at Stonehenge come from West Wales.
While there are numerous other Neolithic stone circles in Britain, “what is unique about Stonehenge is the distance from which the stones came,” says Richard Bevins of Aberystwyth University, one of the study’s co-authors.
