history
A 2024 study published in the journal Nature overturned a long-held assumption about one of Stonehenge's most important stones.
Researchers matched the Altar Stone's mineral composition to distinctive rock formations in northeast Scotland by comparing the age and chemistry of its mineral grains to known geological sources, since different bedrock regions leave unique chemical fingerprints that survive after quarrying.
Wales had long been assumed because Stonehenge's smaller bluestones do come from Welsh quarries, so researchers expected the Altar Stone to match; the mineral evidence overturned that. Northern France was never a serious candidate.
Moving a six-tonne stone over 750 km with only Neolithic tools suggests it traveled by sea, implying prehistoric Britons had far more seafaring skill and cooperation than previously appreciated.
history
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