Stonehenge — the ancient megalith in England — has long been shrouded in mystery, primarily about who built it, how they built it, and where the stones came from. As scientific technology has advanced, researchers have come close to answering many of the questions around Stonehenge.
A 2024 Nature study found that the megalith’s Altar Stone likely came from Scotland instead of England or Wales as previously thought, and a January 2026 study in Communications Earth & Environment found that glaciers likely weren’t responsible for moving the Altar Stone from Scotland to England.
Now, a new study, published in the Journal of Quaternary Science, builds on the previous 2026 study with new findings that may pinpoint how the Scottish altar stone made its way south.
Read More: Humans, Not Glaciers, Brought Rocks to Stonehenge — But Why and How Remain a Mystery
The Altar Stone Arrived at Stonehenge from Neolithic People, Not Glaciers
The Altar Stone at the heart of Stonehenge weighs 6 tonnes and was somehow moved over 434 miles from northeast Scotland to the Salisbury Plain — where the megalith resides — thousands of years ago. The debate over how this stone was moved is ongoing, and researchers at Curtin University may have found additional clues suggesting humans moved it over a long distance.
For the study, the research team combined ice-sheet modeling and mineral grain dating to identify the stone’s original location and determine whether glaciers could have carried the stone towards England. The results, according to study author Anthony Clarke, suggest that the trip would not have been easy and likely required diligent planning.
“Rather than being carried naturally by ice, the evidence points to a deliberate, carefully planned movement across a challenging and varied landscape,” Clarke, who works in the Timescales of Minerals Systems Group within Curtin’s School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, said in a press release.
“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 [kilometers] by people," Clarke added.
Moving the Stonehenge Altar Stone Required Monumental Teamwork
While glaciers may have assisted in moving the stone in some capacity, the real heavy lifting appears to have been done by Neolithic humans. Based on the findings, the research team believes the stone wasn’t moved all at once but in stages, which may have made the process a little less tedious. During these stages, Neolithic humans may have used different parts of the landscape or waterways for the transfer.
“The research indicates there were no viable glacial pathways linking the source region directly to Stonehenge, reinforcing the conclusion that human transport was required," Clarke said. “Instead, this suggests the stone was likely moved in stages, potentially combining overland hauling with river or coastal transport where possible.”
According to the study, moving a stone of this weight and size to its final destination likely required sophisticated logistical planning, a long-distance social network, and technological solutions. These results reveal a complex society that was capable of coordinating large-scale movements and monument building across vast geographic ranges.
“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,” Clarke said. “The study demonstrates how combining geological analysis with computer [modeling] can help resolve long-standing questions about how Stonehenge was built.”
For future research, the team is determined to pinpoint the exact source of the Altar Stone in Scotland and to dig further into the methods Neolithic communities may have used to transport it to Stonehenge.
Read More: The Ancient Burial Site of Flagstones May Have Inspired Stonehenge
Article Sources
Our writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:
- This article references information from a study published in Nature: A Scottish provenance for the Altar Stone of Stonehenge
- This article references information from a study published in Communications Earth & Environment: Detrital zircon–apatite fingerprinting challenges glacial transport of Stonehenge’s megaliths
- This article references information from a study published in the Journal of Quaternary Science: From Highlands to Henge: Refining the Provenance and Transport Pathways of Stonehenge's Altar Stone
