Researchers from Curtin University in Australia have unveiled compelling evidence indicating that humans were responsible for transporting the stones used in the construction of Stonehenge to England, rather than glaciers. This groundbreaking study was published on January 21 in the journal Communications Earth and Environment.
Stonehenge, located on Salisbury Plain in England, was constructed in phases by Neolithic and Bronze Age communities between approximately 3000 BC and 1500 BC. The monument features an outer circle and an inner horseshoe made of sandstone trilithons, along with arcs of smaller bluestones.
Geological studies have confirmed that the sandstone boulders originated from the Marlborough Downs, situated 20 miles away, while the smaller dolomite bluestones were sourced from the Preseli Hills in southwest Wales, located 180 miles to the northwest. The average sarsen stone weighs around 25 tons, while the bluestones vary between 2 to 5 tons, with the heaviest reaching up to 40 tons. Notably, the Altar Stone, weighing six tons, is believed to have come from Scotland.
Previously, various theories existed regarding the transportation of these stones, with some suggesting that humans moved them over land or by sea, while others believed they were deposited by glaciers during the Ice Age.
Current findings strongly support the idea that humans were the ones who moved the stones. The Curtin research team analyzed sediments from streams surrounding Stonehenge for signs of glacial activity. Their results indicated that the region was not glaciated during the Pleistocene, making it improbable that glaciers transported the megaliths.
However, the exact methods employed by humans to move the stones remain uncertain. Dr. Anthony Clarke, a geologist and lead author of the study, noted, "Some suggest the stones could have been sailed from Scotland or Wales, or transported over land using rolling logs, but the truth may remain elusive. What we do know is that ice almost certainly did not play a role in moving the stones."