Study: Stonehenge’s Altar Stone Came from Far Away Scotland

Researchers are one step closer to understanding how Britain's ancient circular structure, Stonehenge, was created.

研究人员距离揭示英国古老圆形建筑巨石阵的创建方式又近了一步。

The circle of huge rocks stands in southern England near the tip of northeast Scotland.

这圈巨石位于英格兰南部，靠近苏格兰东北角的末端。

Its so-called altar stone lies flat in the center.

所谓的祭坛石平放在中心位置。

The new study finds that the huge altar stone did not come from nearby Wales as had been thought.

新的研究发现，这块巨大的祭坛石并不像曾经认为的那样来自附近的威尔士。

The researchers say the rock instead was carried to the site from the more distant Scotland.

研究人员表示，这块石头实际上是从更远的苏格兰运送到这个地点的。

Nature magazine published the study on Wednesday.

《自然》杂志在星期三发表了这项研究。

The research did not show how the five-meter-long stone was carried to the site.

这项研究并没有揭示这块五米长的石头是如何被运送到现场的。

But the scientists said it traveled about 740 kilometers.

但科学家们表示，它的运输距离大约为740公里。

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

“这块石头来自如此遥远的地方令人惊讶，”埃克塞特大学的考古学家苏珊·格林尼说，她没有参与这项研究。

For more than a hundred years, scientists believed that Stonehenge's central sandstone slab — long called the “altar stone" — came from much closer Wales.

一百多年来，科学家们认为巨石阵的中央砂岩板——长久以来被称为“祭坛石”——来自离它更近的威尔士。

But a study last year by some of the researchers showed that the stone did not match the geology of Wales' sandstone formations.

但一些研究人员去年进行的研究显示，这块石头与威尔士砂岩地层的地质特征不匹配。

The actual source of the stone remained unknown until now.

石头的实际来源一直未被揭示，直到现在。

For the study, the team tested mineral content in pieces of rock that had been collected in past digs.

在这项研究中，研究小组测试了过去挖掘中收集的岩石样本中的矿物含量。

They found a match in the sandstone formations of Orcadian Basin in northeastern Scotland.

他们在苏格兰东北部的奥尔卡地安盆地的砂岩地层中找到了匹配点。

The area includes parts of the end of the Scottish peninsula as well as the Orkney Islands.

该地区包括苏格兰半岛的末端以及奥克尼群岛的一部分。

“That geological ‘fingerprint' isn't repeated in any other area of sediment in the U.K.,” said Aberystwyth University geologist Nick Pearce, one of the study writers.

“这种地质‘指纹’在英国其他沉积区域中没有重复，”这项研究的作者之一、阿伯里斯特威斯大学的地质学家尼克·皮尔斯说。

Greaney said the operational complexity of moving the stone so far suggests a high level of planning, cooperation and cultural connection between these two parts of ancient Britain.

格林尼表示，将石头运输如此遥远的操作复杂性表明，这两个古代英国地区之间存在高水平的规划、合作和文化联系。

Stonehenge went up around 5,000 years ago.

巨石阵大约在5000年前建立。

Its design creates a kind of “window” that fully frames the sun as it rises on the summer solstice.

其设计创造了一种“窗户”，完全框住了夏至时升起的太阳。

The ancient purpose of the altar stone remains a mystery.

祭坛石的古老用途仍然是个谜。

“Stonehenge isn't a settlement site, but a place of ceremony...,” said Heather Sebire, with English Heritage, an aid organization that cares for hundreds of historic British sites and structures.

“巨石阵不是一个定居点，而是一个仪式场所……” 英国遗产组织（负责保护数百个历史遗址和建筑）的海瑟·塞比尔说。

Sebire said that past archaeological digs had not uncovered evidence of daily living at Stonehenge.

塞比尔表示，过去的考古挖掘没有发现巨石阵的日常生活证据。

Past research has shown cultural connections — such as similarities in pottery making — between the area around Stonehenge and Scotland's Orkney Islands.

过去的研究表明，巨石阵周边地区与苏格兰奥克尼群岛之间存在文化联系，例如陶器制作上的相似性。

Other stones at Stonehenge came from western Wales.

巨石阵的其他石块来自西威尔士。

Britain is home to other ancient stone circles.

英国还有其他古代石圈。

But, study writer Richard Bevins of Aberystwyth University says, “the thing that's unique about Stonehenge is the distance from which the stones have been sourced.”

但阿伯里斯特威斯大学的研究作者理查德·贝文斯表示，“巨石阵独特之处在于石块的来源距离。”