In the heart of the Neolithic, the site of Stonehenge in England continues to reveal its secrets, attracting the attention of scholars with its imposing stone structures and the mysteries surrounding their origin. Recently, a team of researchers from Curtin and Aberystwyth universities identified the origin of the Altar Stone, a massive sandstone block located at the center of the monument, which comes from the northeast of Scotland, about 750 kilometers away. This Altar Stone, about 5 meters long and 1 meter wide, has traditionally been considered part of the Welsh bluestones.
However, thanks to innovative geochemical analyses, it was possible to determine a granular composition similar to the Old Red Sandstone of the Orcadian area in Scotland.
The key to this discovery lies in the analysis of uranium-containing minerals present in the stone, which act as natural atomic clocks, as the decay of uranium to lead allows for precise tracing of the rock’s origin. Transporting a 6-ton stone block across such a vast and challenging territory represents an extraordinary logistical challenge even with today’s technologies.
Imagining this transport during the Neolithic, in a landscape dominated by dense forests and mountain ranges like the Pennines and the Grampians, makes the feat even more impressive.
Scientists hypothesize that the rock might have been transported by sea, given the complexity of the land journey. Another surprising element is the north-south direction of the transport, which contrasts with the predominant northward glacial flows documented in the last million years. Although there are no evident traces of glacial erosion on the stone, archaeological evidence suggests that maritime routes were already well established in Europe during the Neolithic and that the boats used could have been much more advanced than previously thought. This discovery not only expands our understanding of the logistical capabilities of Neolithic populations but also indicates greater cultural interconnection between different European regions.
The transport of the Altar Stone could represent the longest known maritime journey for any stone used in monumental constructions of the time. The results of this research, published in the prestigious journal Nature, offer new perspectives on the technological and cultural complexity of Neolithic societies, suggesting that the people of that era possessed a surprisingly advanced level of organization and technical capabilities.
This study, therefore, not only illuminates a little-known aspect of Stonehenge but also enriches our knowledge regarding the connections and cultural influences among the different populations of Neolithic Europe.
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