New Henge Discovered at Stonehenge
Posted: 2010-07-22
Here's a nifty bit of news; archaeologists from the University of Birmingham have discovered evidence of a previously unknown henge monument less than 1 kilometre away from the World Heritage site of Stonehenge. The archaeologists, including members from the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Archaeological Prospection and Virtual Archaeology in Austria, and the Universities of St Andrews and Bradford, are calling the discovery a 'major ceremonial monument'.
The discovery comes only 2 weeks into Euro international Stonehenge Hidden Landscapes Project, a 3-year study of the Stonehenge Landscape, previously covered in this blog. The long term aim of the Stonehenge Hidden Landscapes Project is to map the 14 sq km of the Stonehenge Landscape.
I'm not sure even the most optimistic archaeologist would have expected such an exciting discovery so early into the study. The new henge monument is contemporary with the famous stone circle (i.e. late Neolithic) and appears to be on the same orientation. The henge is made of a ditch with entrances at the northeast and southwest. There are pits within the circle, up to 1 metre in diameter. The presence of the pits suggests a large timber structure supported on posts.
Resources:
Council for British Archaeology coverage of the find
Stonehenge on Britainexpress.com
Stonehenge Photo Gallery
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