Stonehenge Altar Stone Origin Traced to Scotland

New research reveals that Stonehenge's Altar Stone, a central six-tonne slab, originated from Scotland's Orcadian Basin, not Wales as previously believed. This discovery overturns a century-old assumption and highlights the advanced transportation capabilities of Neolithic societies, suggesting they may have used maritime routes to move the stone over 450 miles to southern England. The study, published in Nature, involved detailed chemical analysis of the stone's mineral content, which matched it to the northeast of Scotland with 95% confidence. The findings raise further questions about the cultural and logistical organization of ancient Britons and their long-distance trade networks. The revelation adds another layer to the mystery of Stonehenge, a monument already shrouded in historical enigma.