![\"Stonehenge.](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image_10598_1-Stonehenge.jpg\")
<\/p>\nNeolithic people, not glaciers, moved the Altar Stone \u2014 the six-ton central sandstone megalith at Stonehenge \u2014 from northeast Scotland to Salisbury Plain, according to a new study led by archaeologists from Curtin University and Sheffield Hallam University.<\/p>\n
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Stonehenge. Image credit: Sally Wilson.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur findings suggest the journey was far from simple and likely required careful planning across multiple stages,\u201d said Dr. Anthony Clarke, a researcher at Curtin University.<\/p>\n
\u201cRather than being carried naturally by ice, the evidence points to a deliberate, carefully planned movement across a challenging and varied landscape.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOur modeling shows glaciers may have transported rocks part of the way during the last Ice Age \u2014 potentially as far as Dogger Bank in the North Sea \u2014 but not into southern England, meaning the stone would still have needed to be moved hundreds of km by people.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe research indicates there were no viable glacial pathways linking the source region directly to Stonehenge, reinforcing the conclusion that human transport was required.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cInstead, this suggests the stone was likely moved in stages, potentially combining overland hauling with river or coastal transport where possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the study, Dr. Clarke and his colleagues combined mineral dating, geological provenance analysis, and computer simulations of Ice Age ice-sheet movements to investigate how Stonehenge\u2019s Altar Stone reached Salisbury Plain.<\/p>\n
They first refined the stone\u2019s source to northeast Scotland by analyzing its mineral composition and age signatures.<\/p>\n
They then modeled the behavior of ancient glaciers and found that ice could have transported the stone southeast to Dogger Bank, a now-submerged region of the North Sea.<\/p>\n
Based on these results, the team proposed that prehistoric people may later have recovered the stone from Dogger Bank and transported it to Salisbury Plain, where it was eventually incorporated into Stonehenge.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe findings reveal a level of organization and cooperation among Neolithic communities not previously fully appreciated,\u201d Dr. Clarke said.<\/p>\n
\u201cTransporting a stone of this size over such a long distance would have required planning, coordination and a deep understanding of the landscape \u2014 not to mention tremendous determination.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe study demonstrates how combining geological analysis with computer modeling can help resolve long-standing questions about how Stonehenge was built.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFuture research will aim to pinpoint the Altar Stone\u2019s exact source in northeast Scotland and further investigate possible transport routes used by prehistoric communities.\u201d<\/p>\n