Wiltshire discovery hints at Stonehenge's prehistoric precursor
TL;DR
Archaeologists in Wiltshire have uncovered a 5,000-year-old wooden structure at Bulford that may have been a prototype for Stonehenge. Two wooden poles stood 120 meters apart and align with the midsummer sunrise and midwinter sunset, suggesting early astronomical knowledge. Radiocarbon dating places the site about 5,000 years old, roughly 500 years before Stonehenge’s stones were erected. Artifacts such as pottery, bone, charcoal, flints, and a rare disc-shaped knife hint at communal solstice gatherings within a broader Neolithic landscape around Stonehenge.
- New discovery may have been Stonehenge prototype CNN
- Simpler, older version of Stonehenge found three miles from famous site BBC
- Stonehenge Archaeologists Discover Older Version of Prehistoric Monument Just 3 Miles Away from Famous Stones People.com
- Solstice-aligned 5,000-year-old monument ‘once in a lifetime find’, say archaeologists The Guardian
- In Ancient Pits Near Stonehenge, Scientists See Hints of Solstice Ritual The New York Times
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