In a groundbreaking discovery, researchers have traced the origin of an altar stone at the heart of Stonehenge to the distant lands of Scotland, specifically the far north, possibly even the Orkney Islands.

This disclosure, detailed in a study published in the journal Nature, challenges previously held assumptions about the origins of Stonehenge’s stones and the capabilities of Neolithic societies.

The altar stone, weighing a colossal 12,000 pounds, is believed to have been transported more than 400 miles from its source, an impressive feat that highlights the advanced organizational skills of the Neolithic people who built Stonehenge around 3000 B.C.E.

Other stones at the site are known to be sourced locally or from nearby Wales, so this finding upends the historical narrative of the monument’s construction.

“It completely rewrites the relationships between the Neolithic populations of the whole of the British Isles,” an honorary senior research fellow at University College London and one of the study’s co-authors, Rob Ixer, said in an interview with the Guardian. “The science is beautiful and it’s remarkable, and it’s going to be discussed for decades to come. … It is jaw-dropping.”

The research team analyzed the stone’s composition and age, concluding that its origins lie far from the site, suggesting sophisticated transport methods. The study posits that the stone was likely transported by sea, given the challenges associated with moving such a large object overland across the diverse topography of Britain.

According to the paper, “The difficulty of long-distance overland transport of such massive cargo from Scotland, navigating topographic barriers, suggests that it was transported by sea.” The conclusion underscores the high level of societal organization and intra-Britain transport capabilities during the Neolithic period.

A field archaeologist at the University of York, Jim Leary, who was not involved in the study, commented on the implications of this finding to Nature: “We seriously underestimate their abilities and technologies. We’ve never found any of their boats, but we know they were able to transport cattle, sheep, and goats by sea.”