Researchers from Sheffield Hallam University and Curtin University analyzed ancient ice movements and used computer models to investigate how the massive sandstone boulder may have traveled from Scotland to southern England.

The altar stone is believed to have originated in Scotland’s Orcadian Basin, about 700 kilometers (435 miles) from Stonehenge. Its distant source has raised one of the monument’s most enduring questions: how did Neolithic communities move such a large stone across Britain?

Tracing Stonehenge’s Altar Stone to Scotland

To reconstruct possible routes, the research team combined mineral-particle dating with models of ancient ice sheets. This allowed them to investigate both the stone’s geological origin and whether glaciers could realistically have transported it south.

Co-lead author Dr. Remy Venes of Sheffield Hallam University said the study offers a new explanation for at least part of the altar stone’s journey to Salisbury Plain.

“We recently discovered that the altar stone originated in north-east Scotland, but how it traveled 700 kilometers to Salisbury Plain is widely debated,” Venes said.

“Our study provides a new and plausible explanation for some of the journeys to Salisbury Plain.”

The researchers suggest that the people of Doggerland may have attached cultural significance to the stones long before they were incorporated into Stonehenge. The stones may have been moved more than once—first to protect them from rising sea levels at the end of the last Ice Age, and later toward their final resting place on Salisbury Plain.

Did the Altar Stone Stop in Lost Doggerland?

Doggerland was a Neolithic landscape off the east coast of England that is now submerged beneath the North Sea. Because the region had no natural rock outcrops, large stones found there were likely transported from elsewhere, possibly by glaciers.

According to the proposed route, glacial ice may have deposited the altar stone in the Dogger Bank area. As the landscape changed and sea levels rose, people living in the region may have moved the stone again.

From Doggerland, the stone may eventually have been transported toward the Berkshire Ridgeway, considered the oldest road in Europe. The route was used around the time Stonehenge was built and may have provided an important passage to Salisbury Plain.

Glaciers Explain Only Part of the Stone’s Journey

Dr. Anthony Clarke, co-lead author from Curtin University’s Mineral Systems Timescales Group within the School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, said the evidence points to a complex, multi-stage journey rather than a single natural route.

“The evidence points to a carefully planned movement across a challenging and varied terrain, rather than being transported naturally by ice,” Clarke said.

“Our modeling suggests that during the last ice age, glaciers may have carried the rocks along their journey, possibly as far as Dogger Bank in the North Sea, but not all the way to southern England. This means the stones still had to be moved hundreds of kilometers by humans.”

“The study shows that there was no viable glacier route directly linking the glacier source area to Stonehenge, supporting the conclusion that human transport was necessary.”

“Rather, this suggests that the stones may have been moved in stages, possibly combining land transport with river or coastal transport.”

How Neolithic People May Have Moved the Altar Stone

If the proposed route is correct, transporting the altar stone to Stonehenge would have required substantial cooperation between Neolithic communities. Moving a boulder of this size across hundreds of kilometers and varied terrain would have demanded careful organization, route planning and detailed knowledge of the landscape.

Clarke said the findings demonstrate a level of planning and coordination that may not have been fully recognized in the past.

“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 extraordinary determination,” Clarke said.

“This study shows how combining geological analysis and computer modeling can help solve long-standing questions about how Stonehenge was built.”

The researchers now hope to narrow down the altar stone’s exact source in northeastern Scotland and investigate in greater detail the routes prehistoric communities may have used to move it south.

The research was co-led by Sheffield Hallam University and Curtin University, in collaboration with experts from the University of Sheffield, Wessex Archaeology and the University of Bristol.