Stonehenge breakthrough reveals surprising path behind ancient stone’s 450-mile trek

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For centuries, historians and archaeologists have debatedhow Stonehenge was built— and now researchers believe they may have finally traced one piece of the landmark’s complex journey.

The monument, which sits on the Salisbury Plain near Amesbury, Wiltshire, was constructed in stages beginning around 3000 B.C., according to English Heritage, the organization that manages Stonehenge.

New research focuses on Stonehenge’s Altar Stone, which sits near the center of the monument and has long been debated among scholars, news agency SWNS reported.

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Work by researchers from Curtin University inPerth, Australia,suggests the stone originated in northeast Scotland and reached southern England through a combination of glacial movement and human transport.

Using geological analysis and ice-sheet modeling, researchers found that glaciers may have carried the stone as far as Dogger Bank in the North Sea, or roughly 200 miles.

Tourists standing outside Stonehenge monument

New research suggests Stonehenge’s Altar Stone may have traveled from northeast Scotland before reaching its final location in southern England.(Andrew Aitchison/In pictures via Getty Images)

Prehistoric people then likely transported it to its current site in Wiltshire, another 250 miles away — a feat that researchers said required “tremendous determination.”

In a statement, co-lead author Anthony Clarke said the journey would have required careful planning and coordination.

“Rather than being carried naturally by ice, the evidence points to a deliberate, carefully planned movement across achallenging and varied landscape,” said Clarke, according to SWNS.

View of Altar Stone circled at Stonehenge monument

The Altar Stone, circled above, has long puzzled researchers who have studied Stonehenge’s construction and history.(SWNS)

“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 that the Altar Stone was likely moved in stages, withprehistoric peopletransporting the stone after glaciers carried it only part of the journey.

“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 researcher said.

Stonehenge monument at sunrise in Wiltshire

Researchers say evidence supports the theory that prehistoric communities deliberately moved the Altar Stone across a challenging landscape.(Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

“The study demonstrates how combininggeological analysiswith computer modeling can help resolve long-standing questions about how Stonehenge was built.”

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The research comes amid a series of recent archaeological discoveries that shed light onancient Britain.

Anthony Clarke, seen above, said new modeling suggests glaciers carried the stone only part of the way before human beings completed the journey.(Curtin University via SWNS)