Stonehenge stone 80, popularly referred to as the "Altar Stone," has a
secret that a team led by academics at Aberystwyth University in the UK has
uncovered. This secret suggests that Stonehenge stone 80 did not originate
from the same source as other stones used in the building. The Altar Stone
is distinctive, because it could come from a quarry considerably farther
away from Stonehenge than many of the smaller stones, which are thought to
have come from a location 140 miles distant.
The research team describes in a paper published in the Journal of
Archaeological Science, "The Stonehenge Altar Stone was probably not sourced
from the Old Red Sandstone of the Anglo-Welsh Basin: Time to broaden our
geographic and stratigraphic horizons?," how recently discovered data is
refuting a theory that dates back a century.
Given that it is composed primarily of sandstone as opposed to the volcanic
bluestones that make up the inner circle of Stonehenge, the Altar Stone at
Stonehenge is unlike any other stone among the bluestones of Stonehenge. The
term "bluestone" describes the smaller stones of Stonehenge that become blue
when wet.
According to earlier hypotheses, the Altar Stone, like other bluestones
mostly from the Mynydd Preseli region of west Wales, originated from the Old
Red Sandstone formation.
When what is now Europe and North America collided about 400 million years
ago, the Old Red Sandstone formation was formed. The formation extends as
far north as Greenland and Norway and on both sides of the Atlantic.
Using samples from the Old Red Sandstone formation in the Anglo-Welsh
Basin, the researchers used optical petrography, portable XRF analysis,
automated SEM-EDS analysis, and Raman Spectroscopy to look into the origin
of the Altar Stone. The Altar Stone stands out from the majority of other
basin and bluestone samples due to its high barium concentration.
The results show that the barium concentration of the Altar Stone is
remarkable. Although certain samples from basin formations have compositions
similar to the Altar Stone, their differences in mineralogies rule them out
as being from the same source. This casts doubt on the Anglo-Welsh Basin as
the Altar Stone's original location, indicating the need to expand the
search both geographically and stratigraphically towards northern Britain
and to look for newer sandstones.
Early Stonehenge excavators referred to the bluestones, which are mostly
igneous in nature, as "Foreign Stones" since they were not the same as the
larger, locally derived sarsen stones. Large stones used in building are
believed to have originated from a source 15 miles distant, which is still a
very amazing feat considering the weight of each stone (up to 55 metric
tons) and implies that the place where they were brought had great
significance.
One of the world's longest transit routes from source to monument building
site, the majority of the bluestones have been sourced from the Mynydd
Preseli region in west Wales, 140 miles west of Stonehenge.
The researchers suggest that the Altar Stone be "de-classified" as a
bluestone in light of their findings, severing the connection to the
Stonehenge bluestones that are descended from Mynydd Preseli. If this is
accurate, the hunt for the history of the Altar Stone is far from
over.
What significance does Stonehenge have?
Archaeology has proved that the structure has been given several accepted
meanings over a period of 5,000 years, despite the fact that numerous
astronomical ideas have been put out and afterwards proven false. It would
only make sense to include the monument in gatherings if there is a local
custom, whether druidic or not, as well as a location to bury the dead, seek
holy healing, and meditate.
Among the stones, there have undoubtedly been many different kinds of
rituals performed, not the least of which is the contemporary tourist custom
of snapping selfies. Irrespective of its initial purpose, Stonehenge's
legacy lies in the countless moments of amazement, enigma, creativity, and
nostalgia it evokes.
