Stonehenge Altar Stone mystery deepens as scientists rule out more Scottish sources

Scientists say the hunt for the origin of Stonehenge’s Altar Stone is not over, after a new study ruled out several places in north-east Scotland that had been suggested as its source.

Two years ago, researchers stunned archaeologists by showing that the six-tonne stone came not from west Wales, as long believed, but from the Orcadian Basin in north-east Scotland. Now the search for the exact spot has drawn a blank, for now.

What the scientists found

The team, led by Professor Duncan Pirrie of the University of South Wales, looked again at the stone and at fragments held in museum collections, comparing its minerals, chemistry and isotopes with rocks from possible source areas.

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Professor Pirrie said “none of the locations examined have the same set of characteristics”, but added that “the search is not over”. Another member of the team said every place ruled out “narrows the search”.

The research involved universities and institutes in the UK, Canada, Italy and Sweden, including Aberystwyth, UCL, Aberdeen and Plymouth.

Why it matters

If the Altar Stone did come from northern Scotland, it would have been moved more than 700km to Salisbury Plain, around 5,000 years ago. How Neolithic people managed that, by land or by sea, is one of the biggest puzzles in British archaeology. Finding the exact source would help answer it.

Sources: Northsound / Rayo, Journal of the Geological Society, BBC.