![\"An](\"https:\/\/wordpress-assets.futurism.com\/2024\/08\/stonehenge-altar-stone-archaeology-300x158.jpg\")
<\/div>Rolling Stone<\/h2>
An altar stone that lies within the heart of Stonehenge in Southern England has turned out to be from the faraway hinterlands of Scotland, a surprising find that suggests it's far older than any other rock at the prehistoric complex.<\/p>
That also means the architects behind Stonehenge somehow transported this gigantic six-ton stone at a distance of more than 400 miles, an astonishing feat, according to researchers who published their findings<\/a> in the journal Nature<\/em>.<\/p> With Stonehenge's other rocks being locally sourced or from relatively nearby Wales, the Scottish origin of the altar stone casts a new light on the Neolithic society responsible for Stonehenge, which dates back to 3000 BCE<\/a>.<\/p> \"It completely rewrites the relationships between the Neolithic populations of the whole of the British Isles,\" University College London honorary senior research fellow and study co-author Rob Ixer told The Guardian<\/em><\/a>. \"The science is beautiful and it’s remarkable, and it’s going to be discussed for decades to come... It is jaw-dropping.\"<\/p> By analyzing its composition and age, the researchers discovered that the slab of sandstone came from the far north of Scotland, even as far as the Orkney Islands.<\/p> Which leaves the question: how did the altar stone get to Stonehenge?<\/p> \"The difficulty of long-distance overland transport of such massive cargo from Scotland, navigating topographic barriers, suggests that it was transported by sea,\" reads the paper. \"Such routing demonstrates a high level of societal organization with intra-Britain transport during the Neolithic period.\"<\/p> \"We seriously underestimate their abilities and technologies,\" University of York field archaeologist Jim Leary, who was not involved in the research, told Nature<\/em><\/a>. \"We’ve never found any of their boats, but we know they were able to transport cattle, sheep, and goats by sea.\"<\/p> No matter how it got there — either by dragging it on land or floating it down via water — the altar's far-flung origins certainly give us an even deeper appreciation of one of the wonders of the world.<\/p> More on Stonehenge:<\/strong> New Insight Into the Purpose of Stonehenge<\/em><\/a><\/p> The post A \"Jaw-Dropping\" Study Just Revealed the True Origin of a Stonehenge Megalith<\/a> appeared first on Futurism<\/a>.<\/p> Read more: Rolling Stone An altar stone that lies within the heart of Stonehenge in Southern England has turned out to be from the faraway hinterlands of Scotland, a surprising find that suggests it's far older than any other rock at the prehistoric complex. That also means the architects behind Stonehenge somehow transported this gigantic six-ton stone at a distance of more than 400 miles, an astonishing feat, according to researchers who published their findings in the journal Nature . Continue reading Shore to Sea<\/h2>
A \"Jaw-Dropping\" Study Just Revealed the True Origin of a Stonehenge Megalith<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"