Stone of Destiny mystery is SOLVED: Scientist decodes the meaning of the Roman numerals etched into the mystical rock that helped crown King Charles
The Stone of Destiny is a powerful symbol of the British monarchy.
Also known as Stone of Scone, the centuries-old object has been placed under the coronation chair for the crowning of British monarchs since the 13th century, including King Charles III in May 2023.
Ahead of the king’s coronation, subtle markings on the stone revealed previously unknown Roman numerals – XXXV, or 35.
Now, an expert has revealed the meaning of this mysterious inscription, which she thinks was made as recently as the early 1950s.
Professor Sally Foster, an archaeologist at Stirling University, thinks the Stone of Destiny is actually one of 35 pieces of the original sandstone block.
The other smaller 34 pieces were separated from the ancient artefact after its famous theft from Westminster Abbey in 1950.
‘The penny dropped – 34 fragments plus one stone equals 35,’ Professor Foster told the PA news agency.
‘Of course I can’t prove this, but what else might it be?’
Professor Foster thinks the marking was made by Robert ‘Bertie’ Gray, a Scottish nationalist and stonemason who oversaw the repair of the Stone of Destiny in 1951.
During a raid on Westminster Abbey in 1950, when four students spirited the stone back to Scotland, it split in two and Gray later oversaw the work to repair it.
It’s believed more than 30 fragments were created during the restoration work, although Gray never revealed exactly how many before his death in 1975.
However, the Roman numerals suggest the figure is 35 in total – 34 fragments and the main 335 lb (152kg) slab, which is now on display in Perth following its use in the coronation in 2023.
Professor Foster added: ‘He [Bertie Gray] is writing on it “this is the 35th”.
‘It fits in with his sense of humour and with him putting his own mark on the stone.’
A search is already under way to trace up to 30 missing fragments of the Stone of Destiny, although one fragment is known to have been gifted to former First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond and kept at the SNP’s headquarters.
Professor Foster has already received word of several fragments which remain in private ownership, including one which ended up in Orkney.
The Stone of Destiny has featured in the coronation of every English sovereign – with the exception of Mary I and Mary II – since 1307.
On Christmas Day in 1950, it was stolen by four young Scottish robbers who snuck into Westminster Abbey by a side door.
But, being unprepared for its heftiness – it weighed 24 stone – the activists dropped it and it broke in two when it hit the floor before escaping with both pieces in a car.
On discovering that the Stone was missing, authorities closed the border between Scotland and England for the first time in 400 years.
The robbers hired Gray to mend the stone, who inserted a brass rod, containing a piece of paper, during his repair (although what was written on the paper remains unknown).
The stone was finally found safe on the altar at Arbroath Abbey, draped in a Saltire, in April 1951 before being returned to Westminster the following year.
In 1996, it was finally returned to Scotland in recognition of 700 years since it was taken by English king Edward I.
While the stone’s origins are unclear, some place them in Biblical times and identify it as the Stone of Jacob, taken by Jacob from Bethel while on the way to Haran in the Middle East, as told in the Book of Genesis.
But in 2023, prior to the coronation of King Charles III, an academic poured cold water on this theory.
Professor Ian Bradley, a historian at the University of St Andrews said it’s ‘highly doubtful’ the one used in the Coronation is the ‘original’ from the Holy Land.
He said the object is made of a type of sandstone that is ‘unknown’ in the Middle East but ‘relatively common’ around Scone in Perthshire.
Scone is the location where English king Edward I looted the stone (from Scone Abbey) in 1296 and brought it to London – and some think Edward was fobbed off with a fake.
The Stone of Destiny is now on public display at Perth Museum, having been transported last year from Edinburgh, where it was targeted by vandals.
Historic Environment Scotland, which cares for the stone and performed the 2023 laser scans, didn’t comment on or acknowledge Professor Foster’s new conclusion about the numerals.
‘We don’t know for certain when these markings were made on the Stone, or what they signify,’ a Historic Environment Scotland spokesperson told MailOnline.
‘While they have the appearance of Roman numerals, this does not necessarily mean they date to Roman times.
‘The appearance of the markings and the fact they have not been recorded previously suggest they may have been carved more recently. We hope this will be an area for further research.’
Professor Foster said her research is being submitted to an international peer-reviewed journal, awaiting peer review and acceptance.
Source: daily mail
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Stone of Destiny mystery is SOLVED: Scientist decodes the meaning of the Roman numerals etched into the mystical rock that helped crown King Charles/Stone of Destiny mystery is SOLVED: Scientist decodes the meaning of the Roman numerals etched into the mystical rock that helped crown King Charles