Simpler, older version of Stonehenge found three miles from famous site

10 hours ago
Alison Francis, senior science journalist and Rebecca Morelle, science editor


English Heritage
The huge stones at Stonehenge mark the movements of the Sun

Archaeologists believe they have discovered an earlier, much simpler version of Stonehenge about 3 miles (5km) away from the prehistoric monument. ... All that remains of the older structure is two holes in the ground, but the team says they held wooden posts that lined up with the Sun on the summer and winter solstices - the longest and shortest days of the year - in the same way as Stonehenge.

The site has been dated to about 5,000 years old, which predates Stonehenge by 500 years. ... Artefacts were also found at the site, including pottery, flint tools and animal bone, suggesting prehistoric people held gatherings there.

Phil Harding, from Wessex Archaeology, who led the excavation, said it was one of the best finds of his long career. ... "Two post pits tell me [much] more about the people 5,000 years ago," he said. ... "This tells me about the whole community, this tells me about how they were thinking, how they were behaving, how they were revering the heavens."

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The structure, discovered in the village of Bulford, was a much more simple construction made up of just two wooden posts, which have long since rotted away. ... They were positioned 120m (394ft) apart and estimated to be between 2m and 4m high.

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