Mystery of Stonehenges 13,000-pound Altar Stone may be solved as new research reveals how it traveled 450 miles

It was not the rolling stone they thought it was.It remains a mystery exactly how Stonehenge’s titanic Altar Stone arrived at the historic UK landmark, but new evidence rules out one theory — the megalith wasn’t moved there by ice alone.In a groundbreaking study published in The Journal of Quaternary Science, researchers with Australia’s Curtin University contend that the over 13,000-pound stone was transported by Neolithic humans over hundreds of miles of oft-difficult terrain.“Evidence points to a deliberate, carefully planned movement across a challenging and varied landscape,” said co-lead author Dr.Anthony Clarke of Curtin’s School of Earth and Planetary Sciences in a statement describing the “monumental” achievement.

“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.”For years, theories have swirled surrounding the transport of the Altar Stone, which was reportedly added to the heritage site in Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, between 2620 and 2480 B.C.E, Smithsonian Magazine reported.Said centerpiece was initially thought to have originated in Wales, like the monument’s other blue stones, but analysis of the boulder’s chemical composition revealed that it came from Scotland’s Orcadian Basin — some 450 miles away.How did a 16-foot, 6 ton rock travel such a great distance sans the aid of modern technology? Scientists had several theories ranging from boats to — perhaps most interestingly — glaciers that nudged the moveable beast along during the Ice Age.To determine the ancient mode of transit, the Australian team recreated glacial trajectory’s during the epoch using ice sheet modeling and mineral grain dating — a method that involves analyzing the crystals inside a rock to determine its age.They found that while the lion’s share of glaciers from northeast Scotland traveled northeast, awa...