9 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Experts say that the Stone of Destiny was a doorstep

The Stone of Destiny’s recorded links to Scottish royalty date back almost 1000 years, and its origins are shrouded in mystery, with legends linking it to biblical heroes and ancient Egyptian pharaohs. But now a new exhibition celebrating the Stone of Destiny has revealed it may originally have been a doorstep.

Stone of Destiny also known as the Stone of Scone, and often referred to in England as The Coronation Stone.

The new theory comes after the Stone underwent scientific analysis prior to being moved from Edinburgh Castle to its new permanent home at Perth Museum, which opened last month.

A recent analysis of the 335-pound stone found that wear on the top of the historic artifact appears to have been caused by footsteps prior to its being used as the crowning stone of Scotland’s monarchs at Scone, near Perth, in medieval times.

Alexander III’s coronation in 1249 is the first known instance of the Stone of Destiny being used for a crowning ceremony. The story goes that it was covered in gold silk cloth, which covered up its heavily worn surface. Once more the stepped-upon surface was hidden as Edward Longshanks had it integrated into his throne at Westminster after plundering it. In 1996, it was formally brought back to Scotland and put on display alongside other Scottish regalia in Edinburgh Castle’s Crown Room.

Stone of Destiny left Scotland again last year for a very brief stint back inside Edward’s throne for the coronation of Charles III. Analysis carried out in preparation for its transportation to Westminster Abbey for the Coronation determined that the Stone was quarried from the Scone area, suggesting it may originally have been used in a nearby church or possibly a Roman building.

Stone of Destiny also known as the Stone of Scone, and often referred to in England as The Coronation Stone.
Stone of Destiny also known as the Stone of Scone, and often referred to in England as The Coronation Stone.

One of the legends, about the stone is that it was “Jacob’s pillow,” the stone Jacob laid his head on when he dreamt about the ladder to heaven. Unfortunately, there are no surviving origin stories with a plausible kernel of truth that could help explain the scientific discoveries.

Dr Nicki Scott, Senior Cultural Significance Advisor at Historic Environment Scotland (HES), said: “While we know some inauguration rituals did involve the individual being inaugurated to step onto the stone, such as at Dunadd Hillfort, the level of wear on the Stone of Destiny doesn’t support such use.

“Even several hundred years of such a ritual wouldn’t create the level of wear we see. It’s more likely that the stone had earlier served as a step, although we don’t know the context for this.”

Professor Dauvit Broun, Chair of Scottish History at the University of Glasgow, who contributed to the new interpretation at Perth Museum, said: “The evidence is quite compelling. It means that, at some point, the Stone was repurposed as an inaugural throne.

For the first time in seven centuries, the stone was returned to its ancestral home in Perth following the coronation of Charles III, rather than Edinburgh. It is now in the new Perth Museum.

Cover Photo: Perth Museum

Related Articles

New Dead Sea Scrolls in The Horror Cave

16 March 2021

16 March 2021

On Tuesday, Israeli archaeologists revealed dozens of recently discovered fragments of Bible text, the Dead Sea Scrolls, which were based...

A sanctuary for Cult God Mithras discovered in Germany

13 April 2023

13 April 2023

A place of worship for the Roman god of light, Mithras, was discovered during archaeological excavations in Trier, in southwestern...

‘Mystery and Unfathomable’ King Arthur’s Hall is 4,000 Years Older Than Previously Thought

10 November 2024

10 November 2024

A mysterious monument in Cornwall has been discovered to be 5,000 years old—4,000 years older than previously thought. The rectangular...

Archaeologists Discover Clay Figurines from Early Iron Age in Ukraine

17 December 2024

17 December 2024

Archaeologists have discovered clay figurines of young bulls from the Early Iron Age near the Metropolitan Chambers in the village...

Czech scientists make “Celtic beer” using analysis of pollen from burial site

22 September 2023

22 September 2023

Czech scientists, together with a small experimental brewer, have recreated the country’s first ‘Celtic Beer’ using laboratory analysis of pollen...

New Huge Viking-age boat grave discovered by Radar in Norway

12 April 2022

12 April 2022

Archaeologists have located a boat grave from the Viking Age near Øyesletta in Norway during a ground-penetrating radar (GPR) survey....

Farmer Found an Ice Age Cave Under His Field

30 March 2021

30 March 2021

A naturally formed cave was found near the town of Kraśnik in southeastern Poland, used by humans during the Ice...

A painted Wooden Saddle Discovered in an Ancient Tomb in Mongolia Represents Earliest Evidence of Modern Horse Riding

13 December 2023

13 December 2023

Researchers unearthed a wooden saddle framed with iron stirrups in a tomb in Urd Ulaan Uneet, popularly known as the...

4,000-year-old Rock Art From A Previously Unknown Ancient Culture uncovered in Venezuela

4 July 2024

4 July 2024

An archaeological team in Venezuela has uncovered 20 ancient rock art sites in Canaima National Park in the southeastern part...

An Elamite inscription attributed to Xerxes the Great was found at Persepolis

26 February 2022

26 February 2022

During the classification and documentation project of inscribed objects and fragmentary inscriptions in the Persepolis Museum reserves, experts discovered a...

China’s ancient water pipes show people mastered complex engineering 4,000 years ago without the need for a centralized state authority

16 August 2023

16 August 2023

A system of ancient ceramic water pipes, the oldest ever unearthed in China, shows that neolithic people were capable of...

A 2000-year-old bronze military diploma was discovered in Turkey’s Perre ancient city

2 January 2022

2 January 2022

During excavations in the ancient city of Perre, located in the southeastern Turkish province of Adiyaman, archaeologists uncovered a bronze...

DNA Elucidates Mysteries of the Iron Age Log Coffin Culture in Thailand

9 February 2024

9 February 2024

The Northwestern Thailand highlands region of Pang Mapha is dotted with dozens of caves that contain some incredibly odd prehistoric...

The 4,500-year-old Wisconsin canoe was built around the same time that Stonehenge was being constructed

31 May 2024

31 May 2024

Historians from Wisconsin have reported the amazing finding of at least eleven prehistoric canoes in Lake Mendota, which is close...

Archaeologists discovered 130 dwellings around the Ringheiligtum Pömmelte monument “German Stonehenge”

15 June 2021

15 June 2021

Archaeologists have unearthed 130 dwellings at an Early Bronze Age monument in Germany, indicating that the ‘Stonehenge’ was once home...