Stone Henge - New Discovery

I read a report in the Los Angeles Times that archaeologists working near Stonehenge have discovered what appears to be an ancient religious complex containing a treasure trove of artifacts that may finally illuminate the lives and religious practices of the people who built the mysterious monument 4,600 years ago.

This, I found very interesting as Stone Henge is one of my favourite places in England, and people have speculated for thousands of years as to why and how it was built. Now, new light has been thrown on the history of the site.

The circle of massive stone blocks on England's Salisbury Plain southwest of London is one of the best-known archaeological sites in the world, but researchers know surprisingly little about the people who built it and lived in the region. The new finds vastly increase the knowledge of these early Britons and are filling in really important gaps in the record.

The discoveries are also destined to change archaeologists' views of how the ancient people used the site. Stonehenge itself is typically thought of as a cemetery and an astronomical observatory which was the site of pagan celebrations at the Summer Solstice. The monument comprises concentric circles of massive stones, some weighing up to 50 tons, surrounded by a circular earthen bank and a ditch. Some of the stones were imported from Wales, about 150 miles away, while others were quarried about 24 miles north of Stonehenge at Marlboro Downs. It was constructed about the same time as the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt.

The new finds at Durrington Walls, 2 miles northeast of the stone circle, indicate that the entire region was a religious center where the early Britons gathered in midwinter for raucous feasts and solemn ceremonies before sending their deceased on a voyage to the afterlife.

Archaeologists knew there was a henge; a circular banked enclosure with an internal ditch, at Durrington Walls, but the wide excavations, carried out in 2006, place it in a new light. The henge, about 1,400 feet in diameter, enclosed a series of concentric rings of huge timber posts. The team now knows that the posts mimicked Stonehenge in all particulars apart from one... its orientation. Stonehenge is aligned with sunrise at the Summer Solstice and sunset at the Winter Solstice. The henge at Durrington Walls is the exact opposite, aligned with sunrise at the Winter Solstice and sunset at the Summer Solstice. Artifacts found in the houses indicates that there was a massive midwinter celebration marking the solstice to complement the summer celebration at Stonehenge. Stonehenge itself was a monument to the dead, but the complex at Durrington Walls was very much a place for the living.

The team excavated eight houses at the site and magnetic anomalies indicate that there are at least 25 more nearby. The relatively flimsy wattle and daub walls of the houses are long gone. What remains are the densely packed clay floors. These are, apparently, the first ones found with intact clay floors from this period. Virtually square, these houses are no bigger than the average sitting room - about 14 feet by 14 feet. They feature a central fireplace, an oval hearth sunk into the floor; slight indentations around the walls marking the location of timber fittings for box beds and a dresser standing opposite the door.

Durrington Walls is either the richest site or the filthiest ever found for this period being absolutely stuffed full of rubbish: broken pots, chips, flints, burned stones used for cooking and animal bones. Many were thrown away half eaten, a sign of conspicuous consumption. This is an enormous feasting assemblage. People were there to have a really good time. Significantly, there was no evidence for the processing of grain or baking it and little evidence of crafts, so it is assumed that this was not a full-time, year-round community, but one for specialized activities. It was noted that people during this period tended to move from place to place as seasons changed. It was not until 1700 B.C. to 1200 B.C. that they began to settle down in walled towns.

I'm hoping to see some coverage of this on Time Team, with Tony Robinson, because entry to the archaeological site will probably be impossible, but Tony can show the discovery on television, and this I would really love to see. I would imagine the Time Team will have received news of the site. I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed.

I hope this wows you, as much as it did me!