The closest equivalent is probably the nearby Woodhenge, a monument once composed of six rings of wooden posts enclosed by an earth embankment.
The new henge joins a growing complex of tombs and mysterious Neolithic structures found across the area.
The timber henge, a name given to prehistoric monuments surrounded by a circular ditch, would have been constructed and modified at the same time as its more famous relative, and probably had some allied ceremonial or religious function, Chapman said in a telephone interview from Stonehenge.Įxactly what kind of ceremonies those were is unclear. University of Birmingham archaeologist Henry Chapman said he was convinced the small holes were used to secure a circle of wooden poles which stood possibly three or more meters (10 or more feet) high. The new structure was found when scans identified a cluster of deep pits surrounded by a ring of smaller holes about 900 meters (a little over half a mile) from Stonehenge and within sight of its famous standing stones. So archeologists have been scanning the surrounding fields and pastures with magnetic and radar sensors pulled across the grass by tractors or quad bikes. The stonehenge that is visible today is thought to have been completed about 3,500 years ago, although the first earthwork henge on the site was probably built more than 5,000 yeas ago.Īlthough antiquarians have been poking around the area since the 18th century, excavations are now tightly restricted. In its day Stonehenge was at the center of the largest ceremonial center in Europe, he said. The survey team which uncovered the structure said it could be the foundation for a circle of freestanding pieces of timber, a wooden version of Stonehenge.īut Tim Darvill, a professor of archaeology at Bournemouth University in southern England, expressed skepticism Thursday, saying he believed it was more likely a barrow, or prehistoric tomb.ĭarvill did say that the circle was one of an expanding number of discoveries being made around Stonehenge which really shows how much there is still to learn and how extensive the site really was. Theres some debate about what exactly has been found. LONDON Scientists scouring the area around Stonehenge say they have uncovered a circular structure only a few hundred meters (yards) from the world famous monument. Archaeologists have discovered a monument similar to Stonehenge near the ancient British stone circle, dubbing it the most exciting find at the site for 50 years.
0 kommentar(er)
