The search for the origin of Stonehenger17;s mysterious Altar Stone intensifies kra6 cc
In the hopes of solving one of the enduring mysteries about the iconic monolith, geologists have shifted the search for the origins of Stonehenger17;s central Altar Stone to Scotland after recent research redirected the quest from Wales.
But in a surprising twist, a new analysis suggests that the stone didnr17;t originate from Orkney, an archipelago off Scotlandr17;s northeastern coast thatr17;s home to 5,000-year-old Neolithic sites.
The findings, published September 5 in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, come on the heels of a study released in August that pointed to northeastern Scotland as the likely origin for the Altar Stone. That research, published in the journal Nature, overturned a century-old idea that the stone came from current-day Wales.
The Altar Stone, the largest of the bluestones used to build Stonehenge, lies at the heart of the ancient monument in southern England. The 13,227-pound (6-metric ton) block was likely transported over 435 miles (700 kilometers) from northeast Scotland nearly 5,000 years ago, possibly by sea. But the purpose of the stone remains a mystery.
A geologic team, including many of the same authors of the Nature study, examined Neolithic-age stones at two well-known historic landmarks on Mainland, Orkneyr17;s largest island, that were similar in size and rock type to the Altar Stone. But the analysis didnr17;t detect a connection.
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