Geologists Trace Stonehenge’s Altar Stone 500 Miles to Scottish Highlands
Updated
Updated · Daily Star · Jun 14
Geologists Trace Stonehenge’s Altar Stone 500 Miles to Scottish Highlands
3 articles · Updated · Daily Star · Jun 14
Summary
A red sandstone block at the center of Stonehenge has been pinpointed to a region near Inverness in the Scottish Highlands, according to geologists featured in a new Channel 5 documentary.
The finding places the altar stone about 500 miles from Wiltshire, adding to evidence that Stonehenge’s builders moved some of its massive stones over long distances, though the transport method remains unknown.
Researchers cited in the program say the stone may have been central to midwinter rituals, fitting with the monument’s alignment to summer-solstice sunrise and winter-solstice sunset.
Stonehenge, dating to about 3100BC and standing for roughly 5,000 years, still has no settled explanation for either its full purpose or exactly how its stones were assembled.