New research from Aberystwyth University suggests that the largest “bluestone” at the core of Stonehenge may not actually be from Wales. The Altar Stone, which was previously thought to have come from the old red sandstone in south Wales, is now thought to have originated in northern parts of the UK. Most of the other bluestones at Stonehenge come from the Preseli hills in Pembrokeshire.
The Altar Stone was initially assumed to be near the Preseli hills, where most of the bluestones come from. The six-tonne stone has always been grouped with the other, smaller igneous bluestones, although when it arrived at Stonehenge is unclear. The bluestones are believed to have been among the first erected at the Wiltshire site approximately 5,000 years ago.
Researchers at Aberystwyth University analysed the Altar Stone and 58 samples of old red sandstone from across Wales and the Welsh borders. They concluded that the Altar Stone’s composition does not match any of these locations. The Altar Stone contains a lot of barium – a type of metal, which is unusual and could help to reveal its source.
Professor Nick Pearce, who headed up the research team, believes that the Altar Stone does not come from Wales and that it should be considered independently of the other bluestones. For the past century, the Altar Stone had been thought to have derived from the old red sandstone sequences in south Wales. Pearce says that attention could now turn to areas like northern England and Scotland in order to identify the stone’s origin. The study was published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports
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