New analysis has found that the six-tonne altar stone at the heart of Stonehenge came from the far north of Scotland and not from southwest Wales as previously thought.
The discovery shows that the construction of Stonehenge was the result of a much greater collaborative effort than scientists had previously thought.
This also means that the ancient monument, located near Salisbury in southwest England, was built using stones from all over Great Britain.
The findings suggest that Neolithic British society was more cohesive and advanced than previous evidence had suggested.
The distance between Stonehenge and the far north of Scotland is about 700 kilometres (434 miles).
The research was conducted by Welsh PhD student Anthony Clarke, now at Curtin University in Western Australia.
This is the importance of the discovery that It has been published in one of the world’s leading scientific journals, Nature., externala tremendous achievement for a trainee researcher.
But it is a bittersweet moment for the young Welshman, who was born in Pembrokeshire, the area where the altar stone was until now thought to have come from.
“I don’t think people back home will forgive me,” he joked to BBC News. “It will be a huge loss for Wales!”
But Mr Clarke points out that the remaining stones in the central horseshoe, known as the bluestones, are from Wales, while the larger stones in the outer circle are from England.
“We have to give the Scots something!” he said.
“But seriously, Stonehenge seems to be this great British endeavour that brings together all different people from all over the island,” he said.