For years, Stonehenge has left archaeologists puzzled and despite modern technologies, new findings keep expanding the mystery. Recently, researchers discovered that one of Stonehenge’s Altar Stones, previously thought to be from Wales, had actually come from Scotland, approximately 1000 kms away. This revelation has raised questions about how such a massive six ton stone was transported 5,000 years ago. According to recent reports by The Washington Post, the stone was likely moved by Neolithic people, even before the invention of the wheel, through rough terrain and dense forests. Another theory suggested that it might have been transported by sea.
Heather Sebire, senior curator at Stonehenge for English Heritage, believes that transporting such a huge stone could have taken 10 years or more. However, she described the new discovery as impressive. Meanwhile, PhD student Anthony Clarke, who led the research team, investigated two very thin samples of the stone, each thinner than a hair, to uncover more details about its origin.
As per a statement released by the Curtin University, Clarke said, “Our analysis found specific mineral grains in the Altar Stone are mostly between 1000 to 2000 million years old, while other minerals are around 450 million years old. This provides a distinct chemical fingerprint suggesting the stone came from rocks in the Orcadian Basin, Scotland, at least 750 kilometres away from Stonehenge. Given its Scottish origins, the findings raise fascinating questions, considering the technological constraints of the Neolithic era, as to how such a massive stone was transported over vast distances around 2600 BC.”
Meanwhile, Professor Chris Kirkland from Curtin University explained that finding out where the Altar Stone had come from shows how advanced Neolithic societies were. Moving such a large stone from Scotland to southern England would have been a difficult task. He further suggested that ancient people might have used sea routes for transportation.
Geologists are 95% sure that the Altar Stone is made of Old Red Sandstone from the Orcadian Basin in northeast Scotland. Stonehenge’s main structure, the large sarsen stones, seen in images, were sourced from nearby quarries. The outer circle of Stonehenge is made up of smaller bluestones that were transported from quarries in Wales.
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