Famous Monuments: The Seahenge Timber Circle

The Seahenge or Holme I is a monument belonging to the Bronze Age. It was discovered in 1998 at Holme-next-the Sea off the coast of the county of Norfolk, England. It was discovered when the tide became unusually low and lay almost buried in anaerobic clay. Only the top portion was visible.

The site consists of a large upturned tree, surrounded by a circle of 55 small oak posts. The circumference of the circle roughly was 7m by6m. The oak posts were arranged in a circular trench at a depth of 1 m from the surface at the point of time it was discovered. The split sides of the small oaks faced to the inside and the bark faced the outside in all cases except one. One of the oaks forked and was Y shaped to allow it to be the entrance to the central area.

Through dendrochronology (the study of tree rings), the timbers have been dated. The circling oaks date back to the summer of 2049 BC, while the central oak stump was 167 years old when it was cut down Around 25 different trees from the nearby forest were believed to have used. The community working for a common purpose could have built the Seahenge. Archaeologists believe that the remains of honeysuckle stems found under the central stump were used to drag the stump to the site.

The purpose of the Seahenge has given rise to various theories. The discovery of Late Bronze Age pottery here suggests that that for brief period after early Bronze Age, the site was forgotten. Its use seems to have been revived again during the Late Bronze Age. Some historians believed that it could have had a ceremonial connotation. There may have been an astronomical purpose to the site. Other historians propose that the site was a place where dead bodies were laid so that their decomposition process would be hastened and the soul would reach the afterlife stage quickly. Thus, the site was symbolic of the belief of excarnation held by the people of the time. No henge has been discovered in the Seahenge site and apart from being named Seahenge has little in common with the Stonehenge.

The Seahenge remained submerged in anaerobic clay under water, forgotten for 4000 years, but well preserved. However, its exposure to the world due to low tides captured the public attention. Archeologists wanted the Seahenge to be shifted to the London Museum where it could be better preserved. The local people objected to this, as it was a part of their heritage. Neo-Druids too joined the protests against the proposed shifting. The site received a lot of media attention and the issue became a matter of public debate. Eventually, an agreement was reached in 1999 and the site was recorded and then shifted to the Flag Fen Bronze Age Centre, near Peterborough. A subsequent discovery known as Holme II around one hundred metres away from Holme I however has been not been removed for conservation.