Neolithic people, not glaciers, moved the Altar Stone — the six-ton central sandstone megalith at Stonehenge — from northeast Scotland to Salisbury Plain, according to a new study led by archaeologists from Curtin University and Sheffield Hallam University.
Stonehenge. Image credit: Sally Wilson.
“Our findings suggest the journey was far from simple and likely required careful planning across multiple stages,” said Dr. Anthony Clarke, a researcher at Curtin University.
“Rather than being carried naturally by ice, the evidence points to a deliberate, carefully planned movement across a challenging and varied landscape.”
“Our modeling shows glaciers may have transported rocks part of the way during the last Ice Age — potentially as far as Dogger Bank in the North Sea — but not into southern England, meaning the stone would still have needed to be moved hundreds of km by people.”
“The research indicates there were no viable glacial pathways linking the source region directly to Stonehenge, reinforcing the conclusion that human transport was required.”
“Instead, this suggests the stone was likely moved in stages, potentially combining overland hauling with river or coastal transport where possible.”
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’s Altar Stone reached Salisbury Plain.
They first refined the stone’s source to northeast Scotland by analyzing its mineral composition and age signatures.
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.
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.
“The findings reveal a level of organization and cooperation among Neolithic communities not previously fully appreciated,” Dr. Clarke said.
“Transporting a stone of this size over such a long distance would have required planning, coordination and a deep understanding of the landscape — not to mention tremendous determination.”
“The study demonstrates how combining geological analysis with computer modeling can help resolve long-standing questions about how Stonehenge was built.”
“Future research will aim to pinpoint the Altar Stone’s exact source in northeast Scotland and further investigate possible transport routes used by prehistoric communities.”
The results appear today in the Journal of Quaternary Science.
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Anthony J.I. Clarke et al. From Highlands to Henge: Refining the Provenance and Transport Pathways of Stonehenge’s Altar Stone. Journal of Quaternary Science, published online June 4, 2026; doi: 10.1002/jqs.70080
