5,000 Years Ago, ‘Advanced Transport Methods’ Were Used to Move Massive Altar Stone at the Center of Stonehenge

Researchers from Curtin University in Australia say a new analysis of the six-ton Altar Stone at the center of Britain’s Stonehenge monument was likely transported at least 750 kilometers from a quarry in Scotland.

The discovery seems to “point to the existence of unexpectedly advanced transport methods and societal organization at the time of the stone’s arrival” in England nearly 5,000 years ago.

“Transporting such massive cargo overland from Scotland to southern England would have been extremely challenging, indicating a likely marine shipping route along the coast of Britain,” explained Professor Chris Kirkland from the Timescales of Mineral Systems Group at Curtin and the co-author on the recently published study outlining the team’s research.

“This implies long-distance trade networks and a higher level of societal organisation than is widely understood to have existed during the Neolithic period in Britain.”

Stonehenge One of Many Ancient Monuments Built With Massive Stones

Like the Pyramids of Ancient Egypt, Stonehenge has long fascinated scientists and laypersons alike. Its massive stones and extremely ancient origins (including numerous construction phases that took place over millennia) have even led to more fantastical theories about its construction, ranging from “lost” ancient societies with similarly lost advanced knowledge to beings from another planet. There are even theories that the enigmatic Druids who once populated the region used magical powers to “sing” the stones into place.

In the last century, science has thrown a lot of cold water on the more fantastical ideas while simultaneously revealing just how ingenious the Stone Age builders behind the monument’s construction were. The Debrief recently reported on a “lost” branch of the Nile River that likely helped ancient pyramid builders transport the massive stones used to construct those monuments. A more recent study also covered by The Debrief showed that this waterway may have facilitated the use of hydraulic technologies to lift these massive stones into place.

In a recent thread on X, Dr. Hugh Thomas, the Co-Director of the Prehistoric AlUla and Khaybar Excavation Project and an archaeology lecturer, noted that the engineers behind many other ancient monuments, including Stonehenge, were able to move huge blocks of stone without heavy machinery. Thomas highlighted impressive achievements in monuments in ancient Rome, Egypt, Mycenae, and even ancient Indonesia.

Now, the Curtin University researchers say that their analysis reveals a long-distance origin of the Stonehenge Altar Stone, which was likely placed during the monument’s third phase around 2,600 BCE. If confirmed, this new origin means that this enormous piece of rock was also likely transported with boats over a vast distance before finding a home in England.

Chemical Analysis of Altar Stone Reveals Scottish Origin

To conduct their research, Kirkland and colleagues analyzed the age and chemical composition of minerals within fragments of the Altar Stone. When comparing their results to the rocks found in Wales, where the stone had been believed to originate, the study found they didn’t match. Instead, the team found that the Altar Stone at the center of Stonehenge was a much closer match to stones found over 750 km away in Scotland.

“Our analysis found specific mineral grains in the Altar Stone are mostly between 1000 to 2000 million years old, while other minerals are around 450 million years old,” said PhD student Anthony Clarke from the Timescales of Mineral Systems Group within Curtin’s School of Earth and Planetary Sciences and the study’s lead author. “This provides a distinct chemical fingerprint suggesting the stone came from rocks in the Orcadian Basin, Scotland, at least 750 kilometers away from Stonehenge.”

The Debrief previously covered research by scientists from Aberystwyth University suggesting that the Altar Stone was not from Wales and came from “far away.” However, this study is the first to name that far-away origin.

As previously noted, moving stones this large over great distances is not unprecedented, even for Neolithic builders. One megalithic site, Göbekli Tepe in Turkey, is believed to be over twice as old, having been built when humans were still living as hunter-gatherers and had not yet formed the societal organization most researchers assumed was necessary to construct something so large and complex. Still discovering that something this old and this massive was moved over such a long distance was a ‘fascinating’ surprise to the research team.

“Given its Scottish origins, the findings raise fascinating questions, considering the technological constraints of the Neolithic era, as to how such a massive stone was transported over vast distances around 2600 BC,” Clarke said.

Study co-author Dr Robert Ixer of the UCL Institute of Archaeology agreed, noting that the findings were “genuinely shocking.”

“The work prompts two important questions: why and exactly how was the Altar Stone transported from the very north of Scotland, a distance of more than 700 kilometres, to Stonehenge?”

Researchers Hope to ‘Pin Down’ The Altar Stone’s Precise Origin

While the chemical analysis of the Altar Stone helped the researchers eliminate a Welsh origin, the team says that finding the precise location in Scotland where the stone likely comes from will require further study. According to study co-author Professor Richard Bevins from Aberystwyth University, this is likely the most critical next step.

“We have succeeded in working out if you like, the age and chemical fingerprints of perhaps one of the most famous of stones in the world-renowned ancient monument,” Bevins said. “While we can now say that this iconic rock is Scottish and not Welsh, the hunt will still very much be on to pin down where exactly in the north-east of Scotland the Altar Stone came from.”

Until then, the team believes their findings not only solve the mystery of the Altar Stone’s origin but also offer researchers yet another example of Stone Age builders performing impressive feats without modern technology.

“Our discovery of the Altar Stone’s origins highlights a significant level of societal coordination during the Neolithic period and helps paint a fascinating picture of prehistoric Britain,” Professor Kirkland explained.

According to Clarke, who grew up where many of Stonehenge’s other stones came from, the findings also represent a ‘full-circle’ moment in his life.

“This discovery also holds personal significance for me,” he explained. “I grew up in the Mynydd Preseli, Wales, where some of Stonehenge’s stones came from. I first visited Stonehenge when I was one year old, and now, at 25, I returned from Australia to help make this scientific discovery – you could say I’ve come full circle at the stone circle.”

Read the team’s complete study, ‘A Scottish Provenance for the Altar Stone of Stonehenge,’ in an upcoming edition of the journal Nature.

Christopher Plain is a Science Fiction and Fantasy novelist and Head Science Writer at The Debrief. Follow and connect with him on X, learn about his books at plainfiction.com, or email him directly at christopher@thedebrief.org.