New Study May Reveal Stonehenge’s Mysterious Origins

New research suggests that the origin story of Stonehenge was probably as political as it was spiritual. According to the study, which Archaeology International published last week, the monument was made from an unusual variety of stones meant to unify ancient communities. “I think we’ve just not been looking at Stonehenge in the right way,” said lead author Mike Parker Pearson. “Stonehenge stands out in being a material and monumental microcosm of the entirety of the British Isles.”

With every new insight into Stonehenge comes new questions about its origins and ancient significance. The first phase of the monument’s construction began as early as 3000 BC. Previous studies have determined that Stonehenge is comprised of bluestones, a type of fine-grained sandstone, and larger sandstone blocks called sarsens. The bluestones were added first and were transported from about 140 miles away in western Wales. The sarsens, which originated in the West Woods about 15 miles away, were added later.

A six-ton central altar stone was placed in the center of Stonehenge between 2500 and 2000 BC. It was previously believed that the altar stone had fallen into its current sideways position. However, a recent analysis of other stone circles in Britain suggests the altar stone was intentionally laid flat.

Stonehenge Was “An Attempt to Assert Unity”

Earlier this year, researchers discovered that Stonehenge’s central altar stone may have originated somewhere in Northern Scotland—nearly 500 miles away from its final destination in Wiltshire, England. The authors of the latest study believe this distance was politically meaningful and that the stone was possibly relocated from another monument up north. Interestingly, no other monument in the region includes stones from such distances. The builders of Stonehenge may have hoped to unite farmers and their communities across the British Isles by bringing together a group of far-flung stones. After all, this was a period of widespread social and political change caused by the arrival of people from mainland Europe.

“That is the moment that Stonehenge is built,” said Parker Pearson, a professor of British later prehistory at University College London’s Institute of Archaeology. He told the Guardian, “I wonder if it is that moment of contact that serves, in whatever way, as the catalyst for this really impressive second stage of Stonehenge. It’s an attempt to assert unity, quite possibly integrating the newcomers—or not.”

Parker Pearson told CNN, “There’s good evidence to suggest that these large stone monoliths [also] have ancestral significance, representing and even embodying the ancestors of the people who placed them.” He added that the location of the altar stone within Stonehenge is “important” because “if you stand at the center of the stone circle, the midwinter solstice sun sets over its middle.”

The stone circle is famous for its impressive alignment with the sun during the winter and summer solstices—the shortest and longest days of the year, respectively. It is believed that solstices have been celebrated at Stonehenge since ancient times. This year, thousands gathered at the site in Wiltshire on December 21 to mark the winter solstice with singing, chanting, and drumming.