Monday, April 24, 2023

Scotland's Stone of Destiny gives up tantalizing details under new scans

Story by Chris Knight • 

A curator cleans a 3D model of the Stone of Destiny during a press event at The Engine Shed in Stirling, Scotland.© Provided by National Post

Ahead of the May 6 coronation of King Charles III, scientists in Scotland have discovered “previously unrecorded markings” that might be Roman numerals on the Stone of Destiny, the centuries-old sandstone block that is a centrepiece of royal succession in Britain.

The news comes in a recent release by Historic Environment Scotland (HES), the charitable organization that oversees hundreds of Scottish buildings and monuments as well as documents and photographs. The group created a new digital 3D model of the stone, allowing it to be viewed from different perspectives and in higher detail than ever before.

Among the discoveries were previously unrecorded markings “which have the appearance of Roman numerals.” Scientists were also able to get a better look at tooling marks from the original working of the stone, and at repair that was done after the stone was stolen from Westminster Abbey in 1950 by several Scottish university students.

“It’s very exciting to discover new information about an object as unique and important to Scotland’s history as the Stone of Destiny,” said Ewan Hyslop, Head of Research and Climate Change at HES. “The high level of detail we’ve been able to capture through the digital imaging has enabled us to re-examine the tooling marks on the surface of the Stone, which has helped confirm that the Stone has been roughly worked by more than one stonemason with a number of different tools, as was previously thought.”

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The scan was also used to create an exact-scale 3D printed replica of the stone, in preparation for placing it in the coronation chair to be used in King Charles’ coronation ceremony.

Historically, the Stone of Destiny, also known as the Stone of Scone or, in Scots Gaelic, “clach-na-cinneamhain,” was used in the crowning of Scottish monarchs, and was kept in Scone Abbey near Perth, Scotland. But in 1296 the invading forces of Edward I seized it and took it to London. Edward then commissioned the construction of a coronation chair — still in use today — with a shelf to hold the roughly 150 kg slab.

The stone resided at Westminster Abbey until, in 1950, Scottish students stole it, accidentally breaking it in two while trying to get it back to Scotland. It was recovered the following April, and in 1996 — 700 years after its seizure by Edward I — it was returned to Scotland, on the understanding that it would travel back to Westminster for future coronations.

The last major investigative work on the stone was in 1998. The new scans, including X-ray fluorescence analysis, found traces of copper alloy on the top surface that coincides with a dark stain near its centre, suggesting that a bronze or brass object has been in contact with or placed on the Stone at some time in its history.

Microscopic traces of gypsum plaster were also found, infilling pores in the sandstone at various places, which scientists think could be the remnants of a plaster cast that was taken some time in the past.

“The scientific analysis we’ve been able to undertake using cutting-edge techniques that weren’t previously available to us have offered some intriguing new clues to the history of the Stone,” said Ewan. “We may not have all the answers at this stage, but what we’ve been able to uncover is testament to a variety of uses in the Stone’s long history and contributes to its provenance and authenticity.”

The 3D model of the stone can be viewed online at sketchfab.com .

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