Co-lead author Dr Anthony Clarke said the findings suggested the monolith’s journey from Doggerland towards Wiltshire was “deliberate” and “carefully planned”.
“Our modelling 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 kilometres by people.
“The research indicates there were no viable glacial pathways linking the source region directly to Stonehenge, reinforcing the conclusion that human transport was required,” he said.
Clarke, from the Curtin University in Australia, said the study combined geological analysis with computer modelling.
Future research will aim to pinpoint the altar stone’s exact source in north-east Scotland and further investigate possible transport routes used by prehistoric communities.
The study, From Highlands To Henge: Refining The Provenance And Transport Pathways Of Stonehenge’s Altar Stone, was published in the Journal of Quaternary Science.
