Portal:Scotland/Selected article/Week 45, 2010

The Stone of Scone, also commonly known as the Stone of Destiny or the Coronation Stone is an oblong block of red sandstone, used for centuries in the coronation of the monarchs of Scotland, the monarchs of England, and, more recently, British monarchs. Historically, the artifact was kept at the now-ruined Scone Abbey in Scone, near Perth, Scotland. Other names by which it has sometimes been known include Jacob's Pillow Stone and the Tanist Stone, and in Scottish Gaelic, clach-na-cinneamhain, clach Sgàin, and Lia(th) Fàil. Its size is about 26 in by 16.75 in by 10.5 in in size and weighs approximately 336 lb. The top bears chisel-marks. At each end of the stone is an iron ring, apparently intended to make transport easier.

The stone taken by Edward I of England to Westminster has been believed by geologists to be a "lower Old Red Sandstone" quarried in the vicinity of Scone. This account has, of course, limited its history to that land. While many have differed on the specific Scottish-Pictish origin of the Old Red Sandstone of which the artifact is comprised, the Irish geological origin has been precluded. However, the Stratigraphy of the stone's makeup, particularly of the quantity and type fossil particulates and silicates, diminish a precise match to Old Red Sandstone. That the composite could have origins outside of the British Isles, though contextually dismissed, should be considered.