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Stonehenge's 'altar stone' originally came from Scotland and not Wales, new research shows

TECH

Stonehenge's 'altar stone' originally came from Scotland and not Wales, new research shows
TECH

TECH

Stonehenge's 'altar stone' originally came from Scotland and not Wales, new research shows

2024-08-15 07:40 Last Updated At:07:51

WASHINGTON (AP) — The ancient ritual meaning of Stonehenge is still a mystery, but researchers are one step closer to understanding how the famous stone circle was created.

The unique stone lying flat at the center of the monument was brought to the site in southern England from near the tip of northeast Scotland, researchers reported Wednesday in the journal Nature. It’s not clear whether the 16-foot (5-meter) stone was carried by boat or across land — a journey of more than 460 miles (740 kilometers).

“It’s a surprise that it’s come from so far away,” said University of Exeter archaeologist Susan Greaney, who was not involved in the study.

For more than a hundred years, scientists believed that Stonehenge’s central sandstone slab — long called the “altar stone" — came from much closer Wales. But a study last year by some of the same researchers showed that the stone didn’t match the geology of Wales’ sandstone formations. The actual source of the stone remained unknown until now.

For the study, the team was not permitted to chip away rocks at the site, but instead analyzed minerals in bits of rock that had been collected in previous digs, some dating back to the 1840s. They found a match in the sandstone formations of Orcadian Basin in northeast Scotland, a region that includes parts of the tip of the Scottish peninsula as well as the Orkney Islands.

“That geological ‘fingerprint’ isn’t repeated in any other area of sediment in the U.K.,” said Aberystwyth University geologist Nick Pearce, a study co-author.

Greaney said the difficult logistics of moving the stone such a long distance show a high level of coordination and cultural connection between these two regions of ancient Britain.

Stonehenge was constructed around 5,000 years ago, with stones forming different circles brought to the site at different times. The placement of stones allows for the sun to rise through a stone “window” during summer solstice. The ancient purpose of the altar stone — which lies flat at the heart of Stonehenge, now beneath other rocks — remains a mystery.

“Stonehenge isn’t a settlement site, but a place of ceremony or ritual,” said Heather Sebire, senior curator at English Heritage, who was not involved in the study. She said that past archaeological excavations had not uncovered evidence of feasting or daily living at the site.

Previous research has shown cultural connections — such as similarities in pottery styles — between the area around Stonehenge and Scotland’s Orkney Islands. Other stones at Stonehenge came from western Wales.

While Britain is dotted with other Neolithic stone circles, “the thing that’s unique about Stonehenge is the distance from which the stones have been sourced,” said Aberystwyth University’s Richard Bevins, a study co-author.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

In this photo provided by researchers in August 2024, Stonehenge's Altar Stone lies underneath two Sarsen stones in Wiltshire, England. (Nick Pearce/Aberystwyth University via AP)

In this photo provided by researchers in August 2024, Stonehenge's Altar Stone lies underneath two Sarsen stones in Wiltshire, England. (Nick Pearce/Aberystwyth University via AP)

FILE - The world heritage site of Stonehenge is seen in Wiltshire, England on Dec. 17, 2013. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)

FILE - The world heritage site of Stonehenge is seen in Wiltshire, England on Dec. 17, 2013. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)

COVENTRY, Vt. (AP) — A U.S. Border Patrol agent was killed Monday in northern Vermont south of the Canadian border, authorities said.

The Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement that the agent was killed in the line of duty, although it did not provide details.

Vermont State Police said the shooting happened Monday afternoon on Interstate 91 in Coventry, about 20 miles (32 km) from the Canadian border. State police officers were assisting federal authorities including the FBI and Homeland Security.

A portion of the highway was closed in both directions for about two hours afterward. The northbound lane reopened just after 5 p.m.

Coventry is close to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Newport Station, part of the Swanton Sector, which encompasses Vermont and parts of New York and New Hampshire. The area includes 295 miles (475 kilometers) of international boundary with Canada.

HOLD This image taken from video provided by WCAX shows police cars closing off a road after a shooting involving a U.S. Border Patrol agent on Interstate 91 near Coventry, Vt., Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (WCAX via AP)

HOLD This image taken from video provided by WCAX shows police cars closing off a road after a shooting involving a U.S. Border Patrol agent on Interstate 91 near Coventry, Vt., Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (WCAX via AP)

Cars are backed up at the US-Canada border in Stanstead, Quebec, after a shooting involving a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Coventry, Vt., Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Chloe Jones)

Cars are backed up at the US-Canada border in Stanstead, Quebec, after a shooting involving a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Coventry, Vt., Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Chloe Jones)

Cars are backed up at the US-Canada border in Stanstead, Quebec, after a shooting involving a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Coventry, Vt., Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Chloe Jones)

Cars are backed up at the US-Canada border in Stanstead, Quebec, after a shooting involving a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Coventry, Vt., Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Chloe Jones)

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