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A new study reveals the mysterious origins of Stonehenge's altar stone

2024-08-22 20:01:05Lifestyle SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
A new study reveals the mysterious origins of Stonehenge's altar stone
A new study reveals the mysterious origins of Stonehenge's altar stone

An altar stone at the heart of Stonehenge in Southern England has been shipped there from remote areas of Scotland, a surprising discovery that suggests it is far older than any other rock at the prehistoric complex.

It also means that the builders of Stonehenge transported the six-ton ​​giant stone a distance of more than 400 miles, an astonishing feat, according to a group of researchers who published their findings in the journal Nature.

Other Stonehenge stones come from surrounding areas or from relatively nearby Wales, while the Scottish origins of the altar stone shed new light on the Neolithic society of the time when Stonehenge was built, which dates back to 3000 BC.

"It completely rewrites the relationships between Neolithic populations across the British Isles," University College London researcher and study co-author Rob Ixer told The Guardian.

By analyzing its composition and age, the researchers discovered that the sandstone slab came from as far north as Scotland, even as far as the Orkney Islands.

This begs the question: How did the altar stone get to Stonehenge?

A new study reveals the mysterious origins of Stonehenge's altar stone

"The difficulty of long-distance land transport for such massive cargoes from Scotland, through topographical barriers, suggests that it was transported by sea," the study says. Such a route indicates a high level of social organization and transport within Britain during the Neolithic period.

"We seriously underestimate their skills and their technologies," University of York archaeologist Jim Leary, who was not involved in the research, tells Nature. "We have never found any of their boats, but we know they could transport cattle, sheep and goats from the sea."

Regardless of how it got there—whether dragged on land or through water—the altar's remote origins give us an even deeper appreciation of one of the wonders of the world.


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