Archaeologists in Britain have announced the recent discovery of an ancient wooden monument near Stonehenge.
The find is less than one kilometre from the stone monument of Stonehenge and is thought to be 2,000 to 4,000 years old. The team of archaeologists, led by University of Birmingham archaeology professor Vince Gaffney used radar to discover a circular depression in the earth, 25 metres in diameter that features internal pits around a metre wide that are thought to have held timber posts.
The dimensions of the newly-found circular depression are very similar to that of Stonehenge and follow a very similar pattern. It is believed to have been built in the Neolithic period, at around the same time as Stonehenge was erected.
Gaffney reportedly commented that the find is remarkable and could potentially lead to drastic changes in the way Stonehenge is studied.
Though the area will not be excavated, the team are doing further analysis using available technology and the researchers are confident that more remains will be uncovered as the project continues. So far radar imaging has already been used to identify two entrances to the wooden henge as well as a burial mound in the middle of the circle that was probably constructed more recently than the main structure.
Funding for the project comes from the National Trust and the English Heritage, with collaboration from the University of Birmingham, University of Bradford and the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Archaeological Prospection and Virtual Archaeology in Austria.
For more details, go to:
http://planetark.org/enviro-news/item/58902