Mystery stone circle reveals ‘ultimate adventure story' of human presence in Europe
The research sheds more light on the 'ultimate adventure' undertaken by early humans to reach the ' far end ' of Scotland, say archaeologists from the University of Glasgow.
The enigmatic circles, each between 3 and 5m (10 and 16ft) in size, as well as stone tools found at the site, have been dated to around 11,500 – 11,000 years ago – an era known as the Late Upper Palaeolithic (LUP) period.
This provides proof of what was likely a large concentration of a pioneer human population at this Scottish site, which appears to be below modern sea level.
The new findings, published in The Journal of Quaternary Science, indicate that early humans from this period ventured much further north than previously believed.
'This is a hugely significant discovery which offers a new perspective on the earliest human occupation yet known, of north-west Scotland,' said archaeologist Karen Hardy, who led the study.
During this period, when much of west Scotland was buried under ice, nomadic hunter-gatherers from northern Europe crossed Doggerland, an area that is now covered by the North Sea, to occupy Skye, researchers say.
'The journey made by these pioneering people who left their lowland territories in mainland Europe to travel northwards into the unknown, is the ultimate adventure story,' Dr Hardy said.
'As they journeyed northwards, most likely following animal herds, they eventually reached Scotland, where the western landscape was dramatically changing as glaciers melted and the land rebounded as it recovered from the weight of the ice,' he said.
On reaching the Isle of Skye, these early people crafted tools from stone found locally.
They chose to settle down at the place due to its good access to coastal and riverine resources, as well as natural materials like ochre which were highly valued by ancient cultures, researchers say.
The new study reflects an early human presence in the extreme northwest of Europe, pushing boundaries of survival in frigid conditions.
Here, the early humans lived in a fragmented, fluctuating, and volatile environment amid melting glaciers, mountains, and oceans – vastly different from the low-lying environments of the northwestern edge of the Great European Plain.
The island's early population likely originated in the mainland of northwest Europe, 'crossed Doggerland into what is now Britain, and eventually reached the far north of the Isle of Skye', according to the study.
'Together with the new stone alignments and several other nearby sites, this region now contains more evidence for the LUP than anywhere else in Scotland,' scientists wrote.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
7 hours ago
- The Independent
Science and local sleuthing identify a 250-year-old shipwreck on a Scottish island
When a schoolboy going for a run found the ribs of a wooden ship poking through the dunes of a remote Scottish beach, it sparked a hunt by archaeologists, scientists and local historians to uncover its story. Through a mix of high-tech science and community research, they have an answer. Researchers announced Wednesday that the vessel is very likely the Earl of Chatham, an 18th-century warship that saw action in the American War of Independence before a second life hunting whales in the Arctic — and then a stormy demise. 'I would regard it as a lucky ship, which is a strange thing to say about a ship that's wrecked,' said Ben Saunders, senior marine archaeologist at Wessex Archaeology, a charity that helped community researchers conduct the investigation. 'I think if it had been found in many other places, it wouldn't necessarily have had that community drive, that desire to recover and study that material, and also the community spirit to do it,' Saunders said. Uncovered after 250 years The wreck was discovered in February 2024 after a storm swept away sand covering it on Sanday, one of the rugged Orkney Islands that lie off Scotland's northern tip. It excited interest on the island of 500 people, whose history is bound up with the sea and its dangers. Around 270 shipwrecks have been recorded around the 20-square-mile (50-square-kilometer) island since the 15th century. Local farmers used their tractors and trailers to haul the 12 tons of oak timbers off the beach, before local researchers set to work trying to identify it. 'That was really good fun, and it was such a good feeling about the community – everybody pulling together to get it back,' said Sylvia Thorne, one of the island's community researchers. 'Quite a few people are really getting interested in it and becoming experts.' Dendrochronology — the science of dating wood from tree rings — showed the timber came from southern England in the middle of the 18th century. That was one bit of luck, Saunders said, because it coincides with 'the point where British bureaucracy's really starting to kick off' and detailed records were being kept. 'And so we can then start to look at the archive evidence that we have for the wrecks in Orkney,' Saunders said. 'It becomes a process of elimination. 'You remove ones that are Northern European as opposed to British, you remove wrecks that are too small or operating out of the north of England and you really are down to two or three … and Earl of Chatham is the last one left.' Wars and whaling Further research found that before it was the Earl of Chatham, the ship was HMS Hind, a 24-gun Royal Navy frigate built in Chichester on England's south coast in 1749. Its military career saw it play a part in the expansion — and contraction — of the British Empire. It helped Britain wrest control of Canada from France during the sieges of Louisbourg and Quebec in the 1750s, and in the 1770s served as a convoy escort during Britain's failed effort to hold onto its American colonies. Sold off by the navy in 1784 and renamed, the vessel became a whaling ship, hunting the huge mammals in the Arctic waters off Greenland. Whale oil was an essential fuel of the Industrial Revolution, used to lubricate machinery, soften fabric and light city streets. Saunders said that in 1787 there were 120 London-based whaling ships in the Greenland Sea, the Earl of Chatham among them. A year later, while heading out to the whaling ground, it was wrecked in bad weather off Sanday. All 56 crew members survived — more evidence, Saunders says, that this was a vessel blessed with luck. Community effort The ship's timbers are being preserved in a freshwater tank at the Sanday Heritage Centre while plans are discussed to put it on permanent display. Saunders said that the project is a model of community involvement in archaeology. 'The community have been so keen, have been so desirous to be involved and to find out things to learn, and they're so proud of it. It's down to them it was discovered, it's down to them it was recovered and it's been stabilized and been protected,' he said. For locals, it's a link to the island's maritime past — and future. Finding long-buried wrecks could become more common as climate change alters the wind patterns around Britain and reshapes the coastline. 'One of the biggest things I've got out of this project is realizing how much the past in Sanday is just constantly with you — either visible or just under the surface,' said Ruth Peace, another community researcher.
Scotsman
18 hours ago
- Scotsman
Scottish physicist to turn cosmic rays into music for Fringe performance
The muonophone turns cosmic rays into music Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A physicist from the University of Glasgow has teamed up with an artist to turn cosmic rays into music for a series of performances during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Dr David Mahon has partnered with Lomond Campbell, an artist who makes music using self-built instruments, to create a unique instrument called the muonophone. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The muonophone builds on Dr Mahon's research in the field of muography, which uses measurements of particles called muons to create detailed 3D pictures of the interiors of structures. Muons are generated when cosmic rays from space collide with the Earth's atmosphere and are showered across the planet's surface. Devices called muon detectors can pick up the presence of muons as they pass harmlessly through materials. The instrument, designed and hand-built by Mr Campbell, uses muon detectors to make music in a live setting. The instrument reacts in real time to the detection of muons to trigger pre-prepared sounds and visualisations. As the muonophone's outputs are shaped by the cosmic rays, Campbell plays live keyboard parts to accompany the machine's soundscapes. The muonophone will be showcased during two events as part of the Made in Scotland Showcase in Edinburgh during the month of August. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Dr Mahon, of the University of Glasgow's School of Physics and Astronomy, said: 'I've been working on muon-related research at the University for more than 15 years now, finding new ways to harness cosmic rays to see inside objects. 'A University spinout company, called Lynkeos Technology, is now using muography to provide industry with detailed 3D images of the interiors of structures which are impossible to create using other methods. 'Working with Lomond to expand the scope of that research, generating sound alongside images while he plays along with cosmic rays, has been a fantastic experience. I'm looking forward to seeing how audiences engage with the Muonophone during the performances and the installation during the month of August.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A week-long series of live performances called MŮO built around the audiovisual output of the muonophone and featuring a series of special guests will be held at the French Institute in Edinburgh from Friday 1 August. Mr Campbell said: 'When approached by The University of Glasgow to work with their muon detecting technology I jumped on it. There is a score being constantly written by the nuclear activity of the cosmos and with muon detectors we can listen in to that and then interpret it sonically and visually. 'I find that whole concept stirring and want MŮO to instil that same sense of wonder in people who come to experience the live performances and the installation. What began as an idea to make an instrument called The Muonophone, has grown into a fully immersive audiovisual experience called MŮO, thanks to support from Made In Scotland, Sonica Glasgow and The French Institute.' Once the live performances end, visitors to the French Institute will be able to see the instrument for themselves at a MŮO installation running from from 8 to 25 August. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
Daily Mail
20 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Stonehenge mystery is SOLVED after 5,000 years – as scientists finally crack how enigmatic boulder was transported from Wales
It's the monument that has baffled scientists for hundreds of years. But now, experts may have finally solved one of Stonehenge's greatest mysteries. Researchers have revisited the debate over the origin of the landmark's iconic bluestones – the group of smaller stones that are dotted around the site on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire. They focused on a rock known as the Newall boulder, which was uncovered during excavations around a century ago. One of the main debates has been whether this rock – and other similar stones – reached the site after being transported by glaciers from Wales, or whether humans moved them more than 5,000 years ago. A team, led by Professor Richard Bevins from Aberystwyth University, compared the Newall boulder – which is about the size of a football – with samples from a rocky outcrop in Wales. Through geochemical and microscopic analysis, they concluded 'there is no evidence to support the interpretation that it is a glacial erratic'. Instead, the stone is a precise match for the unique characteristics of rocks from Craig Rhos–y–Felin – indicating humans transported the heavy boulder from more than 125 miles (200km) away. There is already evidence of stone quarrying at the site, in north Pembrokeshire, by Neolithic communities around 3000 BCE, they explained. Chemical analysis revealed that the Newall boulder and other fragments found at Stonehenge share identical levels of thorium and zirconium with the stone at Craig Rhos–y–Felin. The researchers said the Newall boulder is a foliated rhyolite and has a surface layer rich in calcium carbonate – the result of its long burial in the chalky soils at Stonehenge. This further reinforces the idea that it was brought here by humans and not glaciers, they said, because glaciers would have left a much more dispersed distribution of similar stones across the region – something that has not been found. The study, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, also makes an important discovery about another of the buried stones at Stonehenge – Stone 32d. It was previously thought to be a type of rock called a spotted dolerite, but new analysis confirms it is also a foliated rhyolite – like the Newall boulder. Transporting these stones, which can weigh over three tonnes, from Wales to Stonehenge would have been an incredible feat of human logistics. 'Part of the fascination of Stonehenge is that many of its megaliths, in contrast to the large, relatively local sarsens, can be proven to have been sourced from Wales, over 200km to the west,' the researchers wrote. What are the Stonehenge bluestones? The bluestones of Stonehenge are a collection of smaller, distinctive stones that form the inner circle and horseshoe formations within the monument. They are named for the bluish tinge they exhibit when freshly broken or wet, despite not always appearing blue in their current state. These stones are not native to the Salisbury Plain area where Stonehenge is located, and are known to have been sourced from Pembrokeshire in Wales. 'Most archaeologists accept that Neolithic people achieved this remarkable feat, transporting blocks weighing up to 3.5 tonnes. 'There is, however, a contrary view, which proposed that no human effort was involved. 'Rather, it is argued, the Welsh stones were transported by glacial ice long before Stonehenge was built.' One of the main proponents of the glacier theory is geologist Dr Brian John, who has previously insisted that the Newall boulder shows glacial abrasion marks. A prior study of his concludes: 'The boulder was reduced in size and heavily modified during glacial transport, for much of the time on the bed of a glacier. 'It was eventually dumped at some location on, or relatively close to, Salisbury Plain.' As part of the new study, the researchers said these features could also be the result of natural weathering. They also said that even if the rock had been transported by ice in the past, it would not explain why similar fragments are only found at Stonehenge and not anywhere else on the Salisbury Plain. The experts said the minerologies of stone from Craig Rhos–y–Felin (left) are identical to stones from Stonehenge (right), indicating they came from the same source Their findings indicate that Dr John's arguments 'have no basis in evidence', they wrote, adding: 'To present it as fact, rather than as hypothesis, is disingenuous'. 'The presence of Stonehenge itself is the evidence of movement by Neolithic peoples of stones weighing up to as much as 40 tonnes,' they wrote. 'Unless it is argued that all the stones were just lying on the ground ready to be erected where they were to make Stonehenge, the stones must have been moved into position. 'If Neolithic people could move a stone a few tens of metres they could move it tens or hundreds of kilometres. 'It may not have been easy, but it was entirely possible and moving 2–3 tonne bluestones would involve an order of magnitude less effort than moving the sarsens.' While the large sarsen stones were only transported from West Woods in Wiltshire – roughly 32km (20 miles) away – they weighed over 20 tonnes each and stood up to seven metres tall. The famous 'Altar Stone' was even transported from Scotland around 750km (466 miles) away, a study published last year revealed. 'There is no evidence for how they moved these stones,' the researchers wrote, 'but recent indigenous peoples have been transporting stones weighing many tonnes great distances with ropes, wooden sledges and trackways – technologies which would have been available in the Neolithic.' While builders 5,000 years ago normally used whatever materials were at hand for stone circles, Stonehenge is 'exceptional' for being constructed entirely of stones brought from long distances, the team said. Researchers have previously suggested that the site may have had a political as well as a religious purpose, 'a moment of unification for the peoples of Britain, celebrating their eternal links with their ancestors and the cosmos'. The new study provides strong evidence of human transport, but the mystery of exactly why Stonehenge was built – and how – is ongoing. The team concluded: 'We reiterate our previous interpretation that the Newall boulder is not a glacial erratic, that there is no evidence of glaciation on the Salisbury Plain, and that the bluestones were transported to Stonehenge by humans and not by ice.' The Stonehenge monument standing today was the final stage of a four part building project that ended 3,500 years ago Stonehenge is one of the most prominent prehistoric monuments in Britain. The Stonehenge that can be seen today is the final stage that was completed about 3,500 years ago. According to the monument's website, Stonehenge was built in four stages: First stage: The first version of Stonehenge was a large earthwork or Henge, comprising a ditch, bank and the Aubrey holes, all probably built around 3100 BC. The Aubrey holes are round pits in the chalk, about one metre (3.3 feet) wide and deep, with steep sides and flat bottoms. They form a circle about 86.6 metres (284 feet) in diameter. Excavations revealed cremated human bones in some of the chalk filling, but the holes themselves were likely not made to be used as graves, but as part of a religious ceremony. After this first stage, Stonehenge was abandoned and left untouched for more than 1,000 years. Second stage: The second and most dramatic stage of Stonehenge started around 2150 years BC, when about 82 bluestones from the Preseli mountains in south-west Wales were transported to the site. It's thought that the stones, some of which weigh four tonnes each, were dragged on rollers and sledges to the waters at Milford Haven, where they were loaded onto rafts. They were carried on water along the south coast of Wales and up the rivers Avon and Frome, before being dragged overland again near Warminster and Wiltshire. The final stage of the journey was mainly by water, down the river Wylye to Salisbury, then the Salisbury Avon to west Amesbury. The journey spanned nearly 240 miles, and once at the site, the stones were set up in the centre to form an incomplete double circle. During the same period, the original entrance was widened and a pair of Heel Stones were erected. The nearer part of the Avenue, connecting Stonehenge with the River Avon, was built aligned with the midsummer sunrise. Third stage: The third stage of Stonehenge, which took place about 2000 years BC, saw the arrival of the sarsen stones (a type of sandstone), which were larger than the bluestones. They were likely brought from the Marlborough Downs (40 kilometres, or 25 miles, north of Stonehenge). The largest of the sarsen stones transported to Stonehenge weighs 50 tonnes, and transportation by water would not have been possible, so it's suspected that they were transported using sledges and ropes. Calculations have shown that it would have taken 500 men using leather ropes to pull one stone, with an extra 100 men needed to lay the rollers in front of the sledge. These stones were arranged in an outer circle with a continuous run of lintels - horizontal supports. Inside the circle, five trilithons - structures consisting of two upright stones and a third across the top as a lintel - were placed in a horseshoe arrangement, which can still be seen today. Final stage: The fourth and final stage took place just after 1500 years BC, when the smaller bluestones were rearranged in the horseshoe and circle that can be seen today. The original number of stones in the bluestone circle was probably around 60, but these have since been removed or broken up. Some remain as stumps below ground level.
