Stonehenge: Researchers Make Huge Discovery

It is still unclear how the six-ton ​​stone could have been transported over such a long distance. “This is a truly astonishing result,” said one of the study’s co-authors, archaeologist Robert Ixer of University College London.

His colleague Nick Pearce of the University of Aberystwyth, Wales, stressed that the “astonishing” distance was the longest distance ever documented for a stone at the time of Stonehenge’s creation.

Evidence of the origin of altar stone
The Neolithic stone constellation has puzzled people for thousands of years. Medieval legend says the wizard Merlin stole the monument from Ireland and brought it to England. Archaeologists have now discovered that the upright sandstones come from nearby Marlborough and the bluestones in the centre of the circle come from Wales.

The origins of the central altar stone were previously unclear. For the now published study, British and Australian archaeologists measured the uranium and lead content of the stone – and found similarities with sediments from the Orcadian Basin in what is now Scotland. The stone came from this region “with a high degree of certainty”, explains Australian researcher Chris Kirkland, who was also involved.

Were stones transported by sea?
Further research will have to determine how the five-metre-long stone ended up in the southwest of England. According to the researchers, natural movements in the prehistoric ice would have pushed the material north, away from Stonehenge. It is also considered unlikely that people brought the stone south over land because of the dense forests, marshes and mountains at the time.

However, there is evidence of an “extensive shipping network” through which pottery and gemstones were shipped at the time the Stonehenge monument was built, explained the study’s lead author, Australian archaeologist Anthony Clarke. This may be why the stone was transported by sea.