World

New Discovery at Stonehenge Could Help Unlock Longtime Mystery

For the first time, a new discovery found by archaeologists at Stonehenge could provide a link in rituals between the ancient rock structure and the Cursus, a neolithic monument that consists of parallel banks with external ditches running next to Stonehenge.

Two large pits found around stonehengeWhat the archaeologists at the University of Birmingham and the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Archaeological Prospection and Virtual Archaeology found, according to the university press release, are two large pits positioned in “celestial alignment.” The researchers think the pits could have contained tall stones, wooden posts or fires to mark the rising and setting sun and could have been connected by a processional route used by agriculturalists to celebrate the summer solstice.

“This is the first time we have seen anything quite like this at Stonehenge and it provides a more sophisticated insight into how rituals may have taken place within the Cursus and the wider landscape,” project leader Vince Gaffney said. “These exciting finds indicate that even though Stonehenge was ultimately the most important monument in the landscape, it may at times not have been the only, or most important, ritual focus and the area of Stonehenge may have become significant as a sacred site at a much earlier date.

“Other activities were carried out at other ceremonial sites only a short distance away. The results from this new survey help us to appreciate just how complex these activities were and how intimate these societies were with the natural world. The perimeter of the Cursus may well have defined a route guiding ceremonial processions which took place on the longest day of the year.”

The researchers hypothesize that processions within the Cursus could have moved from the eastern pit at sunrise following the path as the sun moved overhead and reaching the western pit at sunset marking the longest day of the year. Gaffney said that observers could have been positioned at the Heel Stone, which aligns the two pits.

“If you measure the walking distance between the two pits, the procession would reach exactly half-way at midday, when the sun would be directly on top of Stonehenge,” said Henry Chapman, senior lecturer in archeology and visualization at the university. “This is more than just a coincidence, indicating that the exact length of the Cursus and the positioning of the pits are of significance.”

Check out this visualization of the latest findings at Stonehenge:

The new discoveries were made as part of the Stonehenge Hidden Landscapes Project, a study which is using multiple geophysical imaging techniques to visually recreate the iconic prehistoric monument and its surroundings. It is a project that Wired.com notes has been deemed “the world’s biggest-ever virtual excavation” and that these recent findings reveal that Stonehenge would not have been the only sacred structure at the site.

Two large hidden pits found at stonehenge

Archaeologists using various techniques in this project to map the terrain and what is beneath the terrain around Stonehenge. (Photo: LBI)

“This is just the beginning,” Professor Wolfgang Neubauer, Director of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute, said according to VISTA’s website. “We will now map this monument using an array of technologies that will allow us to view this new discovery, and the landscape around it, in three dimensions. This marks a new departure for archaeologists and how they investigate the past.”

[H/T iO9]

This post has been updated for clarity.

Comments (151)

1 2 3
  • Cherynn
    Posted on November 29, 2011 at 1:59pm

    Cute but meaningless video, narration would’ve made it more understandable.

    Report Post » Cherynn  
    • YoungBloodNews
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 4:47pm

      Old news to people who actually love to learn. This ties a lot into astrology, and no not the ‘whats my horoscope today’ or ‘which celebs share my sign’ but actually the movement of the heavens, precession of the stars, equinoxes and solstices, the story of the constellations, etc. etc….

      Report Post » YoungBloodNews  
    • lukerw
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 5:40pm

      Now… the Ancient Egyptians… viewed everything as A Duality… placed the Great Pyramid to match Orions Belt… and Cities to match other Stars… where Earth should be a Duality to Heaven, as Life and AfterLife were a Duality.

      Report Post » lukerw  
    • MOLLYPITCHER
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 5:58pm

      @youngbloodnews.
      Thats what I thought. This doesn‘t seem like news if you’ve been learning about this stuff all along

      Report Post »  
    • YoungBloodNews
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 7:19pm

      Heres the real fun part: (I hope you click it and read)

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antikythera_mechanism

      I often marvel at those that came before me…

      Report Post » YoungBloodNews  
    • The-Monk
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 8:06pm

      @YoungBloodNews
      I wish I could find a link for a newspaper clipping I saved from about 2007. The headline read, “Archaeologists find evidence of ancient archaeologists in Israel”. You would have liked it. I can’t find the clipping right now but, if I do I’ll reply to one of your future posts.

      Report Post » The-Monk  
    • YoungBloodNews
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 8:37pm

      @MONK

      I look forward to it.
      Here is another fun thing to ponder:

      The sun rises two days early in Greenland (its from last year but many are waiting to see what happens this year)[they try to tie to to global warming but they are morons just doing their MSM thing].

      Now there are a few great hypothesis out there as to why this is really happening. My favorite is the idea that we are in a binary system and that the suns speed up as they come closer together…

      http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1346936/The-sun-rises-days-early-Greenland-sparking-fears-climate-change-accelerating.html#ixzz1f9FkeFNP

      Report Post » YoungBloodNews  
    • The-Monk
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 10:23pm

      @YoungBloodNews
      Thanks. That was fun! The only binary I was well versed in was binary mathematics. Now I have another binary to ponder about thanks to you.

      Report Post » The-Monk  
    • YoungBloodNews
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 11:15pm

      @MONK

      It is fun.

      Im not saying it’s 100% truth but the scientist/astronomers said decades ago that binary star systems only made up something like 20% of our known universe. Now they say (with tech and scope advances) that its more like two-thirds, maybe we are in this majority…

      I bought a nice telescope last Christmas and its been a joy.

      Report Post » YoungBloodNews  
    • The-Monk
      Posted on November 30, 2011 at 12:11am

      @YoungBloodNews
      I got my first telescope in 1968. Spent many of long nights on Hawksbill Mountain in Shenandoah on “the stone deck” set up there. Meteor showers, Lunar eclipses, etc. Saw a UFO in Jan 1976 during a Meteor shower and it was witnessed by other people who were there. That was really strange. Hawksbill is the tallest Mountain in that area. Very nice at night.

      https://www.google.com/search?q=shenandoah+national+park+hawksbill+summit+photo&hl=en&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=wLnVTtbgLITwggeH4-XDAQ&sqi=2&ved=0CCoQsAQ&biw=1216&bih=788

      http://www.flickr.com/photos/labimposter/3607679432/
      .

      Report Post » The-Monk  
    • The-Monk
      Posted on November 30, 2011 at 12:22am

      @YoungBloodNews
      It’s an easy hike also; only 1 mile. 0.7 miles level and then 0.3 miles fairly straight up. If you get the chance take a trip there during a Meteor shower or Lunar eclipse and bring your telescope and camera(s). There is (or was) a cabin with a fireplace at the summit also.

      Report Post » The-Monk  
    • dove11
      Posted on November 30, 2011 at 10:13am

      The concept of the Great Year, the Platonic Year or the Precession of the Equinoxes is fascinating. The ancients were definitely, extremely intelligent.

      Report Post »  
  • texasfireguy
    Posted on November 29, 2011 at 1:47pm

    Nice reference Gonzo and Steve. Great movie

    Report Post » texasfireguy  
  • mac410
    Posted on November 29, 2011 at 1:45pm

    And perhaps 4000 years ago frogs had wings and didn’t bump their ass when they hopped.

    Report Post »  
    • CleanUpAisle2013
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 7:47pm

      As a matter of (little known) fact … the evolutionary ancestor of the modern frog did have wings but only a rudimentary digestive system … and,thus … no ass.

      Report Post » CleanUpAisle2013  
    • Seede
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 8:41pm

      There are three kinds of men: The ones that learn by reading. The few who learn by observation.
      The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence and find out for themselves. Will Rogers

      Where do you fit in?

      Report Post »  
    • AB5r
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 9:01pm

      It was actually the first evolutionary descendant of the mighty frog that built Stonehenge!

      Report Post » AB5r  
  • chips1
    Posted on November 29, 2011 at 1:43pm

    It’s going to be funny in 2000 years when scientists explain the “Hookey Pookey”.

    Report Post »  
    • Texas Chris
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 2:41pm

      Or Global Warming…

      Report Post »  
    • pennsy.357
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 3:31pm

      Or Obama.

      Report Post »  
    • liberty_for_all
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 4:10pm

      “You see, what you‘re supposed to do next is ’turn yourself around’,” they will say.

      Report Post »  
    • bikerr
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 4:39pm

      @chips1— Funny.Especially when they see the words “cause that‘s what it’s all about”

      Report Post »  
  • junkman104
    Posted on November 29, 2011 at 1:28pm

    Anyone been here? Its in Nebraska and you don’t need a passport to visit.

    http://www.carhenge.com/

    Report Post »  
    • poverty.sucks
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 1:38pm

      According to mormons, Garden of Eve is on Missouri.

      Report Post » poverty.sucks  
    • Gonzo
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 1:51pm

      Been there junkman, they sacrifice a virgin there every year on Henry Ford’s birthday.

      Report Post » Gonzo  
    • chips1
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 2:03pm

      There are no virgins in a Ford. They had rumble seats.

      Report Post »  
    • loriann12
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 3:30pm

      I lived in Missouri for the first 20 years of my life, there is NO Garden of Eden there, trust me.

      Report Post »  
    • ValiantDefender
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 3:45pm

      Garden of Eden would have been there (if at all) at least 6,000+ years ago? I’m assuming that if it was there, its either extremely well hidden (not likely) or was absorbed by wild growth 5,995+ years ago.

      Report Post » ValiantDefender  
  • CulpepperJosh1638
    Posted on November 29, 2011 at 1:23pm

    Makes sense, after all Pagan rituals were the cultural norm before any kind of abrahamic religion came about.

    Report Post » CulpepperJosh1638  
    • kindling
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 4:54pm

      Yep…when the Northern tribes of Israel were driven west they were forced to change the day of worship to Sunday because all the pagans worshiped the Sun god on that day and that is how we as Christians came to pick that day rather than the true day which is noon Friday to noon Saturday. I am not sure when midnight became the new day but a long time ago it was noon because that is the only time that is the same no matter where you stand if you can see the sun.

      Report Post » kindling  
    • Capitalist Mama
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 9:01pm

      Actually Kindling, Christians worship on Sunday because that’s the day that Christ rose on Easter.

      He died on Thursday night, which the Jews would consider Friday, “The Day of Preparation.” Remember Jews marked the end of each day as sun down (the day’s end). So after nightfall on Thursday was recorded as Friday.

      Jesus rose after 3 days, and the day after the Jewish Sabbath, which would have been on Sunday. The scriptures verify this timeline.

      Christians worship on Sunday because Sunday is the day that Christ arose from the grave, conquering our sin and death, allowing us to become His righteousness and live with Him in Glory forever.

      Report Post »  
  • thegreatcarnac
    Posted on November 29, 2011 at 1:17pm

    It’s sun worship and also a clock. The time is two small stones after the 2nd big one.

    Report Post »  
    • texasfireguy
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 1:42pm

      You had to be a real man to wear a wrist watch back then.

      Report Post » texasfireguy  
    • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 3:45pm

      The thing is, with the way the world is going, and Obama seeking the destruction of the nation, we may need to use such sundial/calanders once again.

      Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
    • Who would Jesus bomb?
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 7:47pm

      Exactly Snow. I am fashioning myself a wrist watch with a sundial, like Fred Flintstone’s watch, just in case.

      Report Post » Who would Jesus bomb?  
    • Cat
      Posted on November 30, 2011 at 6:15am

      And, whoever is left, will wonder what the stuff in Fort Collins, Colorado was used for

      Report Post » Cat  
  • AmericanStrega
    Posted on November 29, 2011 at 1:16pm

    I don‘t know about you’ll, but some years ago, my husband being the smart-ass he is, left me a nice little monument in the bathroom…NO, it‘s not what you’ll might be thinking (sickos). He made a perfect replica of Stonehenge out of toilet paper rolls. He dubbed it “Roll-Henge”. I still get a laugh from it all these years later. :)

    Report Post »  
  • elosogrande
    Posted on November 29, 2011 at 1:11pm

    Nice information, but if these guys are working on the Taxpayer’s dime, or the Taxpayer’s pound for that matter, these projects should be shut down until further notice. These guys either need to go out and get real jobs, or find private funding for their work.

    The world has thousands of huge problems to solve, and finding out why Stonehenge was built isn’t even on the list.

    Report Post »  
    • Spqr1
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 4:48pm

      Taxpayer’s dime? Do you even know what country Stonehenge is in? And the UK has that habit that modern, civilized nations have: spending money on learning things before spending money on blowing things up.

      Report Post »  
  • jungle J
    Posted on November 29, 2011 at 1:09pm

    the boogeyman did it…go to work and make some money to pay for the losers in society.

    Report Post »  
  • KickinBack
    Posted on November 29, 2011 at 1:07pm

    Just shows how much hi-tech gadgetry has really dumbed us down.

    Report Post » KickinBack  
    • chips1
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 2:00pm

      Giant LEGOS. And each piece fit perfectly. The civilization was so advanced that it must have been aliens from Uranis,

      Report Post »  
  • COFemale
    Posted on November 29, 2011 at 1:03pm

    If you look at that whole topology in and around Stonehenge there are curious circular formations that do not seem man made in the sense that farmers made them. It seems that many farmers plowed around these formations rather plowed over them. True a few could have been made to retain water for irrigation, but many make unusual patterns outside the realm a farmer would make.

    Unfortunately, the whole area has been built up and many land markings have been destroyed, but if you can piece together the bits and pieces still visible, you may get a better picture of how Stonehenge was used at the time.

    Report Post » COFemale  
    • Eliasim
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 1:06pm

      Maybe there once was pyramid-like structures there or near there and the ice age destroyed them, and that’s where the stones for Stone Henge came from?

      Report Post »  
    • Eliasim
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 1:13pm

      And then, many of those people moved South to the Mediterranean, and Egypt, and then they also built pyramids there. The Bible mentions that Joseph built monuments to Pharaoh. Joseph built the pyramids!

      Report Post »  
    • Eliasim
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 1:17pm

      Well, in the “Well” Joseph was tossed in until the Egyptians took his spirit out of the “Well” and then Joseph built the pyramids for Pharaoh.

      Report Post »  
    • SoupSandwich
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 3:24pm

      That one sheep was sort of cute.

      Report Post »  
    • Spqr1
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 4:51pm

      Joseph cold not have built the pyramids for Pharaoh. The traditional period for Joseph and the captivity is New Kingdom, the pyramids are Old Kingdom. You are about 2000 years off.

      Report Post »  
  • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
    Posted on November 29, 2011 at 12:55pm

    Seen this a few days ago on UK news sights. Interesting indeed.

    Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
  • piper60
    Posted on November 29, 2011 at 12:55pm

    These archeologists have too little excitement in their lives, clearly.

    Report Post » piper60  
    • chips1
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 1:48pm

      Bet their clocks all blink 12:00

      Report Post »  
    • Utahcatholic
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 4:33pm

      I wonder how large the government grant is that these archeologists received?

      Perhaps while they are mapping the terrain and underground terrain they will also “discover” that gorebal warming is way way worser than we thought…

      Report Post »  
  • OniKaze
    Posted on November 29, 2011 at 12:53pm

    As long as it is not trod upon by a dwarf, I feel they can do whatever they like with that pile of rocks. Just don’t damage them…

    Report Post » OniKaze  
  • capecodsully
    Posted on November 29, 2011 at 12:52pm

    The prehistoric folks sacrificed humans to the sun and threw their bodies in the pits on the longest day of the year to prevent global warming. Kind of like what the UN is trying to do to us now.

    Report Post »  
  • heavyduty
    Posted on November 29, 2011 at 12:51pm

    Just goes to show that you can watch the whole thing and still have no clue as to what just happened. All I can figure out is that there is two pits dug a long way apart and something about when the sun comes up in the morning and sets in the evening.

    Report Post »  
    • Gonzo
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 12:55pm

      You know as much as they do Heavy.

      Report Post » Gonzo  
    • 4truth2all
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 1:20pm

      We do know this…. that these “dumb” ancient people built “monuments” that understood the exactness, the precision clockwork of the solar system and beyond that is as exact today as the day it was formed!

      Report Post »  
    • deeberj
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 1:58pm

      No one said they were dumb ancient people. But our modern archeologists sure do guess a lot. They use a lot of words like “may” and “could have”. Well yes. And it may have been a conga line dancing around every Saturday evening, or it could have been a path made for people to walk on to get to one place from another NOT on a solstice. It’s so much guess work.

      Report Post » deeberj  
    • netjet
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 3:02pm

      We all know about as much as we want to about Stonehenge; since no one alive was ever even close to there when it was built or have any legible writings about its use–everything we deduce about it is a HUGE ‘educated’ (I use that term loosely) guess. Just like sciences’ theory of the beginning of life. Science fact is a term I like to throw around like Herman Cain does with relationship issues.

      Report Post » netjet  
    • 4truth2all
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 5:51pm

      Yo Deeberj:
      Nor was I calling them dumb. Was speaking to the ability we have to think we are so smart in this day and age. Actually I believe we have in a number of ways become the “dumb” ones.

      Report Post »  
  • mcFirst
    Posted on November 29, 2011 at 12:50pm

    The stones are used to store souls from the anunnaki. The aliens that created humans by mixing dna of local being and their dna.

    I wonder if they are still in the rocks. check out boriska on you tube, he talks about storing souls in stones.

    Report Post » mcFirst  
  • This_Individual
    Posted on November 29, 2011 at 12:49pm

    Ahh. A time when there were many more religions in the world.

    Report Post »  
  • Eliasim
    Posted on November 29, 2011 at 12:48pm

    I told you they worshiped the sun. It wouldn‘t surprise me if they didn’t use snow and ice to stack those stones.

    Report Post »  
    • Eliasim
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 12:50pm

      An Ice age will really make ya miss the sun. You don‘t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.

      Report Post »  
    • Eliasim
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 12:53pm

      Actually a team of dogs could pull those stones rather easily over Ice. Kind of makes me think maybe the stones originally came from something else, and they were moved to that location.

      Report Post »  
    • Eliasim
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 12:56pm

      I’d say it is more likely that as the Ice Age was coming to a close, that they built the structure as it was receding to worship the sun lest they make the God’s angry again.

      Report Post »  
    • RightThinking1
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 1:01pm

      ‘Global Warming’ : What the nut-job alarmists call the periods between Ice Ages.

      Report Post »  
    • chips1
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 2:13pm

      ELIASIM:
      Why do you reply to something you just said? Seems like you argue with yourself more than we do. Problems at home?

      Report Post »  
    • Atrum Angelis
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 2:33pm

      @Eliasim
      “Kind of makes me think maybe the stones originally came from something else, and they were moved to that location.”

      Actually, we know that the stone came from Wales, as the make-up of the stone matches that of southern Wales, and is vastly different from the rock formations of the region (the Salisbury plain).

      Report Post »  
  • mcFirst
    Posted on November 29, 2011 at 12:47pm

    the stones were to store and collect souls. Maybe the souls are still in the stones from the anunnaki.

    funny how important planetary movements were in times we are all taught were so backward.

    Report Post » mcFirst  
    • This_Individual
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 1:23pm

      Put the waterpipe down!

      Report Post »  
    • Gonzo
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 1:45pm

      I agree, step away from the bong.

      Report Post » Gonzo  
    • PATRIOTGRUNT
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 2:02pm

      @ GONZ & INDIVIDUL : Too late . He just re-loaded.

      Report Post » PATRIOTGRUNT  
    • Lucy Larue
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 4:39pm

      MCFIRST,
      It’s Okay McFirst.
      Some of us understand they certainly were not backward.
      Some of us understand that the universe,which extends to infinity, is a very mysterious entity.

      ALL men are small when the stars come out.

      Report Post »  
  • Carter John
    Posted on November 29, 2011 at 12:46pm

    I know that this is an exciting discovery of the past. However, I find I can‘t really show previous amounts of excitement when I’m so worried about our future.

    Report Post » Carter John  
    • MrButcher
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 1:02pm

      They’ll be digging up the ruins of our civilization in just a few years…

      Report Post » MrButcher  
  • Gonzo
    Posted on November 29, 2011 at 12:44pm

    It‘s pretty isn’t it? In America it would have long been surrounded by parking lots, roller coasters and fireworks stands.

    Report Post » Gonzo  
    • RightThinking1
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 1:09pm

      Gonzo,
      I wish the British were above it, but many, many landmarks there have been despoiled by commercialism. Lands End comes to mind, but there are, as I said, many…

      Report Post »  
    • katiefrankie
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 3:42pm

      That’s what I was thinking, too. I lived in Italy for awhile and was constantly delighted at how well the Italians have preserved many of their most beautiful artifacts, be it cities, buildings, art, etc. It makes for some interesting living (a bit cramped at times), but I was always fascinated to see how Europeans use ingenuity to cope rather than just bulldozing centuries of history to expand.

      Report Post » katiefrankie  
  • MONICNE
    Posted on November 29, 2011 at 12:42pm

    The English culture is based on legacy idolatry and superstitions that are anything but Christian. Yet they are ten times more faithful and effective as our #1 Ally than the Israelis, without a lot of Financial Aid.

    TEA

    Report Post » MONICNE  
    • Gonzo
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 1:47pm

      Great logic!

      Report Post » Gonzo  
    • deeberj
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 1:53pm

      Monicne/Encinom – blah blah blah.This is all I hear when you say something.

      Report Post » deeberj  
  • AvengerK
    Posted on November 29, 2011 at 12:41pm

    “where the banshees live and they do live well”.

    Report Post »  
    • Gonzo
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 12:47pm

      Turn it up to 11 !

      Report Post » Gonzo  
    • Steverino
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 1:31pm

      Big bottoms, big bottoms
      Talk about mudflaps, my babe‘s got ’em
      Big bottoms drive me outta my mind-
      How can I leave this behind….

      Report Post »  
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