A new study has revealed that the mᴀssive six-tonne Altar Stone at Stonehenge, long believed to originate from Wales, actually hails from northeast Scotland. This discovery reshapes our understanding of Neolithic Britain, highlighting an unexpected level of societal organization and connectivity across the British Isles some 4,500 years ago.
Stonehenge under dark clouds. Credit: Kris Schulze
The research, led by Anthony Clarke, a PhD student at Curtin University in Australia, utilized advanced geochemical analysis to pinpoint the origin of the Altar Stone. Previously thought to be sourced from the Senni Beds formation in Wales, the stone’s mineral composition, particularly the detrital zircon, apaтιтe, and rutile grains, pointed to a very different origin. The findings were published in the prestigious journal Nature.
“Our analysis found specific mineral grains in the Altar Stone that are mostly between 1 to 2 billion years old, while other minerals date back around 450 million years,” said Clarke. This distinct chemical fingerprint matched with remarkable accuracy to rocks in the Orcadian Basin of northeastern Scotland, about 750 kilometers from Stonehenge. Clarke humorously remarked to BBC News, “I don’t think I’ll be forgiven by people back home. It will be a great loss for Wales!”
The revelation that such a mᴀssive stone was transported from so far away is astonishing. The Orcadian Basin, located in what is now the Inverness area and possibly even as far as the Orkney Islands, was identified as the likely source. This means that the stone was likely transported either overland or via a marine route, both of which would have required a high level of societal coordination.
The Altar Stone at Stonehenge located on Salisbury Plain. Credit: Pam Brophy / Past the Stones: Stonehenge / CC BY-SA 2.0
“The fact that prehistoric people managed to move such a large stone over such a distance is a testament to their ingenuity and organizational skills,” said Professor Chris Kirkland, co-author of the study. He added, “Our discovery of the Altar Stone’s origins highlights a significant level of societal coordination during the Neolithic period and helps paint a fascinating picture of prehistoric Britain.”
The study suggests that the construction of Stonehenge was a collaborative effort involving communities from across Great Britain. Rob Ixer, an honorary senior research fellow at University College London and another co-author, described the findings as “jaw-dropping,” noting that “it completely rewrites the relationships between the Neolithic populations of the whole of the British Isles.”
The Altar Stone, a unique recumbent sandstone block at the heart of Stonehenge, has long puzzled archaeologists. While the origins of other stones at the site, such as the upright sandstones from Marlborough and the bluestones from Wales, were already known, the Altar Stone remained a mystery until now.
Stonehenge. Credit: Bernd Feurich
For over a century, researchers believed the stone came from much closer, in Wales. However, repeated tests failed to confirm this, leading the team to broaden their search, which ultimately led to this “quite sensational” discovery, as Richard Bevins, a professor from Aberystwyth University and co-author of the study, told AFP news agency.
The placement of the Altar Stone at the center of Stonehenge, aligned with the solstice axis, underscores its significance and the importance of its connection to the north. “The placement of this stone at the heart of the monument shows that they thought this stone, and by implication, the connection with the area to the north, was incredibly important,” commented Susan Greaney, an archaeologist at the University of Exeter.
This study opens up new avenues of research into how such stones were transported and the broader connections between different regions of Neolithic Britain.
More information: Clarke, A.J.I., Kirkland, C.L., Bevins, R.E. et al. (2024). A Scottish provenance for the Altar Stone of Stonehenge. Nature 632, 570–575. doi:10.1038/s41586-024-07652-1
