In 2019, archaeologists studying an “ancient” stone circle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, were surprised to discover that it was actually built in the mid-1990s. Although the Macarena may seem much earlier now, it was much less ancient than believed a few thousand years ago. In this case, the stone circle proved to be a replica set up by a diligent farmer and former owner of the land interested in the recurring stone circles of the region. The farmer contacted the archaeologists when he realized that they had mistaken his replica for the real deal.
Neil Ackerman, a Historic Environment record assistant at Aberdeenshire Council, said in a statement at the time, “It’s certainly disappointing to learn about this development, but it also adds an interesting element to its story.” “This kind of monument is notoriously difficult nowadays. For this reason, if any modern replicas of ancient monuments are not recorded later, we include them in our records.” This is to make it easier for trained archaeologists to make such mistakes. So you can see how it is possible for a hobbyist to make a rock mistake for scratching assholes for any ancient and mysterious monotony.
Folklore researcher Ian Powell shared on Twitter that he spoke to a farmer who claimed this was exactly what happened. Cows like to scratch themselves but are cursed with legs that are unable to get really good scratches. So over the years, great farmers have placed stone monoliths on their lands to scratch themselves against their cattle, where real ancient stone circles are not available.
Clearly, if it’s good enough for a cow’s butt, it’s good enough for the New Age type, who “worshiped” a butt-scratcher on farmer’s land, according to Powell. They may have stumbled across the butt stone while looking for the “hold stone” highlighted in the background in the photo. “Hold Stones” are natural perforated stones, which in the Middle Ages were considered mantras that could ward off witchcraft and nightmares. “When I was finishing at this memorial, in 1749, a very intelligent farmer in the neighborhood assured me that he knew many people who had bought this vein stone for back and limb pain, and that fictional 1 parents, as scholar William Borlage wrote in 1754, At certain times of the year they regularly draw their babies to heal their racquets.
