An impression of what Stonehenge II would have looked like when it was standing (Picture: PA)
Archaeologists have found Stonehenge II buried beneath the ground a mile away from the original.
More than 4,500-years-ago, at least 90 huge stone monoliths lined an impressive ‘arena’ that may have been used for religious rites or solstice rituals.
Now lying on their sides covered by three feet of earth, they remained undiscovered until archaeologists equipped with ground-penetrating radar probed the area around the famous stone circle on Salisbury Plain.
Archaeologists have found Stonehenge II buried beneath the ground a mile away from the original.
More than 4,500-years-ago, at least 90 huge stone monoliths lined an impressive ‘arena’ that may have been used for religious rites or solstice rituals.
Now lying on their sides covered by three feet of earth, they remained undiscovered until archaeologists equipped with ground-penetrating radar probed the area around the famous stone circle on Salisbury Plain.
Experts believe it would have been used as some sort of ritual arena (Picture: PA)
So what was Stonehenge II used for?
Experts believe Stonehenge II would have been used as a ritual arena of some sort.
Prof Gaffney said: ‘These things are theatrical.
‘They’re designed to impress and impose; to give the idea of authority to the living and the dead.
‘It really does create a massive impression, and was clearly important enough to have been drawn into the developing landscape.’
Ninety stones have been discovered so far, and there may be more.
Precisely why the stones were put there remains a mystery.
So what was Stonehenge II used for?
Experts believe Stonehenge II would have been used as a ritual arena of some sort.
Prof Gaffney said: ‘These things are theatrical.
‘They’re designed to impress and impose; to give the idea of authority to the living and the dead.
‘It really does create a massive impression, and was clearly important enough to have been drawn into the developing landscape.’
Ninety stones have been discovered so far, and there may be more.
Precisely why the stones were put there remains a mystery.
This map shows the position of the Durrington Walls monoliths near Stonehenge (Picture: PA)
They are the most important find to emerge so far from the Hidden Landscapes project which is using state-of-the-art technology to map ‘invisible’ archaeological features embedded in the Wiltshire countryside.
The stones, some measuring nearly 15ft, were placed along the south-eastern edge of what later became the Durrington Walls ‘superhenge’ – a circular enclosure ringed by a ditch and bank that at nearly a mile across is the largest earthwork of its kind in the UK.
Experts believe the stones, which may have been imbued with magical properties, were not originally part of the henge but were deliberately toppled before being incorporated into it.
Professor Vince Gaffney, from the University of Bradford, one of the archaeologists leading the project, said: ‘We’re looking at one of the largest stone monuments in Europe and it has been under our noses for something like 4,000 years. It’s truly remarkable.
They are the most important find to emerge so far from the Hidden Landscapes project which is using state-of-the-art technology to map ‘invisible’ archaeological features embedded in the Wiltshire countryside.
The stones, some measuring nearly 15ft, were placed along the south-eastern edge of what later became the Durrington Walls ‘superhenge’ – a circular enclosure ringed by a ditch and bank that at nearly a mile across is the largest earthwork of its kind in the UK.
Experts believe the stones, which may have been imbued with magical properties, were not originally part of the henge but were deliberately toppled before being incorporated into it.
Professor Vince Gaffney, from the University of Bradford, one of the archaeologists leading the project, said: ‘We’re looking at one of the largest stone monuments in Europe and it has been under our noses for something like 4,000 years. It’s truly remarkable.
The original Stonehenge (Picture: Getty)
‘We don’t think there’s anything quite like this anywhere else in the world. This is completely new and the scale is extraordinary.’
Dr Nick Snashall, National Trust archaeologist for the Avebury and Stonehenge World Heritage Site, said the Stonehenge landscape has been studied by antiquaries and archaeologists for centuries, but the work of the Hidden Landscapes team is revealing previously unsuspected twists in its age-old tale.
He added: ‘These latest results have produced tantalising evidence of what lies beneath the ancient earthworks at Durrington Walls.
‘The presence of what appear to be stones, surrounding the site of one of the largest Neolithic settlements in Europe adds a whole new chapter to the Stonehenge story.’
‘We don’t think there’s anything quite like this anywhere else in the world. This is completely new and the scale is extraordinary.’
Dr Nick Snashall, National Trust archaeologist for the Avebury and Stonehenge World Heritage Site, said the Stonehenge landscape has been studied by antiquaries and archaeologists for centuries, but the work of the Hidden Landscapes team is revealing previously unsuspected twists in its age-old tale.
He added: ‘These latest results have produced tantalising evidence of what lies beneath the ancient earthworks at Durrington Walls.
‘The presence of what appear to be stones, surrounding the site of one of the largest Neolithic settlements in Europe adds a whole new chapter to the Stonehenge story.’
Metro UK
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