According to new research, Stonehenge’s six-ton altar stone could have made its journey from Scotland to southern England through glacial movement before being carried the rest of the way by prehistoric people. The study, published in the journal Journal of Quaternary Science, uses mineral grain dating alongside computer models of ancient ice sheets to track the stone’s likely route.
The Rock’s Long Journey
Researchers now think the six-ton sandstone megalith at the center of the monument came from northeast Scotland, roughly 700 km (435 miles) away. That distance makes it one of the farthest-traveled stones at the site, and it raises one of the monument’s most perplexing questions: how was such an enormous stone moved across that distance?
The new research suggests glaciers during Britain’s last ice age may have carried the stone from Scotland’s Orcadian Basin as far as Dogger Bank in the North Sea. From there, people would still have had to move it hundreds of kilometers to Salisbury Plain.
Tracing the Route
By combining mineral grain dating with computer models of ancient ice sheets, researchers were able to examine both where the stone came from and whether glaciers could plausibly have carried it south.
Dr. Remy Veness, who serves as co-lead author on the research, stated that the Altar Stone’s place of origin has been confirmed as northeast Scotland. He added, however, that the journey of the stone over 700 km to Salisbury Plain remains unexplained.
“Our research gives a new plausible explanation for part of the journey to Salisbury Plain,” he said.
A Stop in Lost Doggerland
The land known as Doggerland lay beneath the North Sea, off the eastern coast of England, during the Neolithic era. Since it possessed no natural rock formations sticking above ground, any sizable stones found there must have come from elsewhere, possibly transported by glacial action.
The study team proposes that ice might have carried the Altar Stone into the Dogger Bank region. As the land shifted and the sea rose, people there may have moved it once more.
The stone from Doggerland might have found its way to the Berkshire Ridgeway, which is considered the oldest road in Europe. That route was in service about the time Stonehenge was being built, and it may have offered a significant passageway toward Salisbury Plain.
The Human Touch
Dr. Anthony Clarke, who is co-lead author and part of the Timescales of Minerals Systems Group at Curtin’s School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, said the proof suggests a trip with several stages instead of just one simple path.
“Rather than being carried naturally by ice, the evidence points to a deliberate, carefully planned movement across a challenging and varied landscape,” Dr. Clarke said.
“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.”
What It Suggests About Neolithic Culture
The results open up the idea that the stone held value well before it became part of Stonehenge. According to Dr. Veness, it may have been important enough to be moved at least twice.
“What is exciting about these findings is that they could imply that the people of Doggerland attached cultural significance to the Altar Stone long before it was incorporated into Stonehenge,” he said.
“First to potentially save it from being submerged by rising sea levels at the end of the last ice age and then again to its final resting place on Salisbury Plains.”
The Work Ahead
Experts aim to pinpoint the exact location in northeast Scotland where the Altar Stone came from, and they also want to study more closely the paths that ancient communities might have followed to carry it south.
Sheffield Hallam University and Curtin University jointly led the study, working alongside specialists from the University of Sheffield, Wessex Archaeology, and the University of Bristol.
Researchers show that pairing geological investigation with computer simulation can settle longstanding questions about how Stonehenge came to be erected.
Key Facts Box
- Six-ton sandstone megalith
- Origin: northeast Scotland
- Distance to Salisbury Plain: roughly 700 km (435 miles)
- Study published in Journal of Quaternary Science
- Research team: Sheffield Hallam University and Curtin University, with the University of Sheffield, Wessex Archaeology, and the University of Bristol
A new explanation for Stonehenge’s biggest mystery — how a six-ton stone traveled all the way from Scotland to Salisbury Plain — rests on the glacier theory, which also sheds light on the ancient people’s deep bond with the rock.
Source material: “Stonehenge’s 6-ton altar stone may have traveled from Scotland by glacier,” ScienceDaily.
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