Mystical Carvings of the Ancients: Unearthing Stones That Called to the Sun

Approximately 4,900 years ago, as a volcanic eruption obscured the sun, a Stone Age society sacrificed numerous ornamented stone tablets endeavoring to summon it back.

A collection of carved stones excavated from ceremonial sites on Bornholm, a Danish island, showcases designs predominantly symbolizing the sun and agricultural plants. Additionally, an examination of ice core data suggests a volcanic eruption occurred around the period when the stones were specifically interred. Together, the data imply that the interment of the stones might have been associated with the potentially disastrous occurrence, as reported by archaeologist Rune Iversen and his team on January 15 in Antiquity.

“The prevalence of solar and flora patterns is remarkable,” states Alison Sheridan, an archaeologist at National Museums Scotland in Edinburgh who was not part of the study. “These stones are regarded as a form of supplication or call for the sun to come back, and for vegetation

Iversen’s squad uncovered a trove of more than 600 adorned stones between 2013 and 2018, situated in ceremonial gathering locations believed to have been constructed by the Funnel Beaker civilization. These individuals seem to have excavated and replenished various trenches over the course of approximately a century. Around 2900 B.C., they dispersed sun stones across the terrain like seeds scattered in a field, sealed off the trenches, and erected multiple circular wooden structures atop them.

“It is quite remarkable that suddenly we have all these stones, and there is no indication of them before or after,” states Iversen from the University of Copenhagen. This observation prompted Iversen’s group to deduce that the interment was a reaction to a significant event.

After dismissing solar eclipses, the scientists examined ice cores from Greenland and Antarctica, which reveal evidence of a volcanic eruption around 2910 B.C. likely leading to global cooling and impacting agricultural yields. Sediments from lakes in Germany also suggest a significant decrease in sunlight around this period, while tree rings from both Germany and the United States indicate multiple frost occurrences during growing seasons.

“The collection is indeed outstanding in terms of its quality and quantity,” notes archaeologist Marc Vander Linden from Bournemouth University in England. However, he remains skeptical about a direct connection between the burials and volcanic activity. “A priority would be to examine a much larger chronological range, to determine if this timeframe presents a distinct environmental signature such as a heightened frequency of cold snaps.”

It remains uncertain which volcano erupted, although locating it could illuminate its wider consequences, Iversen remarks. The timing of the deposition aligns with the decline of the Funnel Beaker culture and extensive social turmoil throughout Europe.

“Considering that the repercussions of the volcanic activity would have been felt across much of the Northern Hemisphere,” indicates Sheridan, “this raises questions about what other responses might have occurred elsewhere.”