NewsArchaeologyAncient, engraved stones may have been buried to summon the sunIce cores hint at a volcanic eruption around the time of the burial in Stone Age Denmark More than 100 engraved stones unearthed in Denmark depict images of the sun. The stones, including the two shown here, may have been buried as part of a ritual to bring back the sun after a volcanic eruption, researchers say. John Lee/National Museum of Denmark, R. Iversen et al/Antiquity 2025By Richard Kemeny4 minutes agoAs a volcanic eruption darkened the sun roughly 4,900 years ago, a Stone Age culture sacrificed hundreds of decorated stone plaques to try to coax it back.A trove of engraved stones unearthed from ritual gathering sites on Bornholm, an island in Denmark, display motifs that most commonly represent the sun and croplike plants. Whats more, an analysis of ice cores points to a volcanic eruption around the time the stones were intentionally buried. Taken together, the evidence suggests the stones burial may have been linked to the potentially cataclysmic event, archaeologist Rune Iversen and colleagues report January 15 in Antiquity.