Stonehenge Altar Stone was ‘not sourced from Mainland Orkney’ says new research

In the final days of the 2024 season, there was a notable rise in visitors’ Stonehenge-related queries.

Why? Because a new paper, published in the journal Nature, had suggested that the Wessex monument’s Altar Stone came from north-east Scotland.

This five-metre-long sandstone block lies at the centre of Stonehenge but, because it is partially buried and under two fallen sarsen stones, is barely visible. A Welsh origin for the Altar Stone had been proposed, but a project to test the stone’s chemical composition, and the age of the minerals within, indicated otherwise.

In their paper, A Scottish provenance for the Altar Stone of Stonehenge, the authors were careful not to suggest a specific origin point, other than the geological Orcadian Basin – specifically an area encompassing Orkney and a coastal strip from the Moray Firth to (and around) John O’Groats.

They were clear, however, that the “six-tonne shaped block, was sourced at least 750 km from its current location.” [1]

Presumably sparked by the word “Orcadian” it wasn’t long before the “Altar Stone came from Orkney” claims were doing the rounds.

And with it the “jaw-dropping” revelation that Neolithic people must have had far-reaching connections across the British Isles. Amid calls to rewrite the history books, we sat back and reflected on how everyone who has read this website, our books or taken part in a site tour has been told just that for many years!

It took a week or two, but the Altar Stone furore died down.

And then, at the end of last week, another paper appeared – Was the Stonehenge Altar Stone from Orkney? Investigating the mineralogy and geochemistry of Orcadian Old Red sandstones and Neolithic circle monuments.

Published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, this one was clear. The Altar Stone did NOT come from the Orkney Mainland. [2]

But surprisingly, the new research seems to have escaped the notice of the national and international press.

In short, the paper’s authors applied the same techniques used on the Altar Stone to Orcadian geological samples as well as megaliths at the Ring of Brodgar and Stones of Stenness.

Their conclusion?

“[T]he Altar Stone was not sourced from Mainland Orkney, despite considerable evidence for long-distance communications between Orkney and Stonehenge around 3000/2900 BCE.”

No doubt the debate on the stone’s origin – and how it was transported to Wessex – will continue, with the original report’s authors carrying out further work to pinpoint the location.

• [1] Clarke, A.J.I., Kirkland, C.L., Bevins, R.E. et al. (2024) A Scottish provenance for the Altar Stone of Stonehenge. Nature 632, 570–575. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07652-1
• [2] Bevins, R. E., Pearche, N.J.G., Hillier, S., Pirrie, D., Ixer, R. A., Andò, S., Barbarano, M., Power, M., Turner, P. (2024) Was the Stonehenge Altar Stone from Orkney? Investigating the mineralogy and geochemistry of Orcadian Old Red sandstones and Neolithic circle monuments. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, Volume 58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104738