Researchers have come one step closer to understanding the origins of the ancient British circular structure Stonehenge.

The circle of giant rocks stands in southern England near the tip of northeast Scotland. Its so-called altar stone lies flat in the middle. The new study shows that the giant altar stone did not come from nearby Wales, as previously thought. The researchers say the stone was instead brought to the site from further afield in Scotland.

Nature The magazine published the study on Wednesday. The investigation did not reveal how the five-meter-long stone was transported to the site, but scientists said it had traveled a distance of around 740 kilometers.

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

For more than a hundred years, scientists believed that the central sandstone slab of Stonehenge – long called the “Altar Stone” – came from much closer Wales. But a study by some researchers last year showed that the stone was not agree The geology the sandstone formations of Wales. The actual origin of the stone was previously unknown.

For the study, the team examined the mineral content of rocks collected during previous excavations. They found a match in the sandstone formations of the Orcadian Basin in northeast Scotland. The area covers parts of the end of the Scottish peninsula and the Orkney Islands.

“The geological ‘Fingerprint’ is not repeated in any other area of sediment in the United Kingdom,” said Nick Pearce, a geologist at Aberystwyth University and one of the study’s authors.

Greaney said the operational complexity involved in transporting the stone over this distance suggested a high level of planning, cooperation and cultural connection between these two parts of ancient Britain.

Stonehenge was built about 5,000 years ago. Its structure forms a kind of “window” that completely frames the sun as it rises in summer. SolsticeThe ancient purpose of the altar stone remains a mystery.

“Stonehenge is not a settlement site, it is a place of ceremony…” said Heather Sebire of English Heritage, a charity that looks after hundreds of historic British sites and monuments. Sebire said previous excavations had found no evidence of everyday life at Stonehenge.

Previous research has shown cultural connections – such as similarities in Ceramics Manufacturing – between the area around Stonehenge and the Scottish Orkney Islands. Other Stonehenge stones came from West Wales.

There are other ancient stone circles in Britain. But the author of the study, Richard Bevins from the University of Aberystwyth, says: “What unique What is special about Stonehenge is the distance from which the stones came.”

I’m Cathy Weaver.

Christina Larson reported this story for The Associated Press. Caty Weaver adapted it for Learning English.

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Words in this story

agree – v. produce or find something equivalent or similar

peninsula – N. a piece of land that is almost completely surrounded by water or extends into the water

geological – adj. of, relating to, or based on geology, a science that deals with the history of the Earth and its life, especially as recorded in rocks

sediment – N. the material of a liquid that settles at the bottom

Solstice – N. one of the two points on the ecliptic where the distance from the celestial equator is greatest and which the sun reaches every year around 21 June and 21 December

Ceramics – N. Pottery, especially earthenware as opposed to porcelain and stoneware as well as bricks and tiles

unique – adj. to be the only one; unique; different from all others