Stonehenge‘s Altar Stone Origin Rewritesโ Neolithic History
SALISBURY PLAIN, ENGLAND โ – A groundbreaking geological study published in the journal Nature has overturned long-held beliefs aboutโฃ the origins of the Altar โคStone, a key โcomponentโ ofโ Stonehenge. Researchersโ have traced the massive sandstone slab not to the Brecon Beacons of Wales, as previously theorized, butโข to a quarry in โsoutheast Scotland – a revelation that dramatically shifts understanding of Neolithic-eraโฃ capabilitiesโ and societal organization in Britain.
For decades, the prevailing theory โpinpointed the stone’s source to theโฃ old Red Sandstone formations โof southeastโค Wales. However,chemical fingerprinting conducted โby a team from Aberystwyth University and Curtin University has definitively linked โtheโ Altarโข Stoneโข to a source in Scotland,initiating โขa new searchโ to pinpoint the exact quarry location.
“Our discovery of the Altar Stone’s origins highlights aโฃ significant levelโค of societal coordination during the โNeolithic period and helps paint โฃa interesting picture of prehistoric Britain,” said study โco-author Chris Kirkland,โค a professor at Curtin University, inโข a statement.
The implications ofโ this finding are โsubstantial. Transporting the large slabโค – composed โคof greenish Old Red Sandstone – fromโค Scotland to Salisburyโข Plain, roughly 2,600 BC, would have presented an immense logistical challenge. โขThe authorsโค suggest the โfeat required an unexpectedly advanced transport โmethod and a complex, well-organized society.โฃ
“transporting such massive cargo overland from โScotland to southern England would haveโ been โextremely โchallenging,” Kirkland โexplained, “indicating a likely marine shipping route along โthe coast of Britain.โ This implies long-distanceโ trade networks and a higher level of societal organization then is widely understood to have existedโข during the โNeolithic period in Britain.”
Study co-author Richard Bevins, a professor at Aberystwyth University, statedโข that the team isโข nowโค focused on identifying the preciseโ origin point within Scotland.The discovery not only re-writes the story of Stonehenge’s construction but also offers a new lens through which toโ view the capabilities and interconnectedness of โฃNeolithic Britain.
