Stonehenge's Mysterious Altar Stone May Have Travelled 500 Miles From Scotland, Reveals New Study

Stonehenge, the ancient wonder that has stood on English grassland for approximately 5,000 years, still holds many secrets. Recently, new research sent shockwaves through the archaeological community, suggesting that the central rock, known as the Altar Stone may have been transported an astonishing 500 miles or more from Scotland to Salisbury Plain, the Washington Post reported. 

Notably, the Altar Stone is a 50cm thick sandstone block in the middle of Stonehenge's circle. 

This finding, published with 95% certainty by Curtin University scientists, challenges a century of geological consensus that pinpointed Wales as the stone's origin.

By analysing tiny, well-preserved fragments of the stone - which cannot be further disturbed due to Stonehenge's World Heritage Site status - researchers identified the material as Old Red Sandstone. 

It's already known that some of the monument's smaller stones were brought to the site from southwest Wales, around 120 miles away. However, the Old Red Sandstone used in the Altar Stone is native to Scotland's northeast, specifically the Orcadian Basin, which is 500 miles away. It is to be noted that the wheel wasn't invented at that time. 

''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. This provides a distinct chemical fingerprint suggesting the stone came from rocks in the Orcadian Basin, Scotland, at least 750 kilometres away from Stonehenge,'' said Anthony Clarke, a PhD student at Curtin University and lead author of the study, which was published in the journal Nature.

The very fact that Neolithic people transported this stone over 500 miles to Salisbury Plain without wheels ''demonstrates a high level of societal organization with intra-Britain transport during the Neolithic period,'' researchers said. 

However, dragging a six-tonne rock over 500 miles in a rugged terrain, including mountains, hills, valleys, and at least 30 rivers, would have been a monumental task taking several years to complete. Given the enormity of this undertaking, it's improbable that the rock was transported by land from northern Scotland to Wiltshire. A more possible scenario is that it was transported by sea, which would have reduced the journey time to just a few months. 

''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. 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,'' said Chris Kirkland, a professor at Curtin University and study co-author.

Other stones in the circle are said to have travelled significant distances as well, the organization stated.