Stonehenge's stones travelled remarkable distances. The Bluestones came from the Preseli Hills in west Wales, while the Sarsens were quarried in Wiltshire. A 2024 study ruled out mainland Orkney as the Altar Stone's source and narrowed its origin to the wider Orcadian Basin; the exact quarry remains unknown. The monument also has 56 Aubrey holes arranged in a circle. Remarkable Neolithic logistics!
Stonehenge Altar Stone not from mainland Orkney, study finds
EnglandArchitecture
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Key facts
- The Bluestones were transported from the Preseli Hills in west Wales, while the Sarsen stones came from Wiltshire.
- A 2024 study ruled out mainland Orkney as the Altar Stone's source and narrowed its likely origin to the wider Orcadian Basin; the exact quarry remains unknown.
- Stonehenge includes 56 Aubrey holes arranged in a circle.
Sources
A Scottish provenance for the Altar Stone of Stonehengenature.com
by AJI Clarke · 2024 · Cited by 31 — Thus, we posit that the Altar Stone was anthropogenically transported to Stonehenge from northeast Scotland, consistent with evidence of ...
Altar Stone (Stonehenge)en.wikipedia.org
The Altar Stone is a recumbent central megalith at Stonehenge in England, dating to Stonehenge phase 3i, around 2600 BCE.
The Origins of the Stonehenge Altar Stoneleakeyfoundation.org
Scottish origins. Our new study published in Nature shows that the Altar Stone's age fingerprint identifies it as coming from the Orcadian Basin ...
What's new about the Stonehenge Altar Stone?mikepitts.wordpress.com
My research has convinced me that the Altar Stone has come from the rocks of Papa Westray Sound in far north of Orkney. This is at least 20 ...
How Did Stonehenge Get Its Altar Stone? New Research ...smithsonianmag.com
Stonehenge's altar stone originated in northeast Scotland, some 450 miles from the site of the iconic monument in southern England.
Stonehenge Altar Stone was 'not sourced from Mainland ...nessofbrodgar.co.uk
“[T]he Altar Stone was not sourced from Mainland Orkney, despite considerable evidence for long-distance communications between Orkney and ...
Was the Stonehenge Altar Stone from Orkney? ...sciencedirect.com
by RE Bevins · 2024 · Cited by 9 — It is concluded that the Altar Stone was not sourced from Mainland Orkney, despite considerable evidence for long-distance communications between Orkney and ...
Stonehenge tale gets 'weirder' as Orkney is ruled out ...theguardian.com
Orkney is not, in fact, the source of the altar stone, meaning the tantalising hunt for its place of origin goes on.
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