Palaeontology

Mystery of Stonehenge's altar stone may have finally been solved

By T.K. Randall
June 6, 2026

Image: Stonehenge, Wiltshire
Credit: Udit Kapoor / CC BY-SA 4.0 (adapted) One of the world's most studied and debated Neolithic monuments, Stonehenge - with its iconic standing stones - remains a testament to a people long lost to the annals of history.

One mystery in particular, however, has remained of particular interest - that of how the monument's altar stone actually made it all the way from the Orcadian Basin of north-east Scotland to Salisbury.

Now, though, a new study has highlighted a possible way that this huge stone could have got there.

According to researchers, the stone may have been carried by a glacier to Doggerland - a long-submerged region that lies off the coast of what is now south-east England.Once it was there, it may have actually served as a ceremonial object long before becoming a part of Stonehenge.

When the ice began to melt and sea levels started to rise at the end of the Ice Age, the people of the time may have decided to move it to higher ground.

This, in turn, would have eventually seen it moved to its current resting place in Salisbury.

"Our research gives a new plausible explanation for part of the journey to Salisbury Plain," said study co-author Dr Remy Veness.

"It's really interesting to consider that the construction of Stonehenge might have started as a result of climate-induced migration."

Source: BBC News

Tags: Stonehenge