The purpose of the Stonehenge Stone Circle remains unknown to scientists despite decades of research.
Archaeologists have discovered a large circle of deep wells surrounding an ancient settlement near Stonehenge, opening up new avenues of inquiry into the origins and significance of the mysterious prehistoric monument.
The Stonehenge Stone Circle, the purpose of which remains unknown to scientists despite decades of research, is one of Britain’s most famous landmarks and attracts tourists and people looking for spiritual connections to nature.
The new discovery, described as “astonishing” by a team of archaeologists from several universities who participated in the project, shows a circle of wells, 2 km in diameter, surrounding the colony of Durrington Walls.
The site is located approximately 2 miles northeast of Stonehenge on the Salisbury Plain, and evidence suggests that the wells date back to the same period, approximately 4,500 years ago.
“This is an unprecedented discovery of major importance in the UK,” said Vincent Gaffney, one of the archaeologists leading the project.
“Key researchers on Stonehenge and its landscape were surprised by the size of the structure and the fact that it had not been discovered so far so close to Stonehenge,” he said.
Gaffney said that the circle of wells, each about 10 meters (33 feet) wide and 5 meters deep, demonstrated the desire of Neolithic communities to record their belief systems in a way and on a scale that the researchers never planned.
The discovery was made without the need for excavations, using remote sensing and sampling technology.
“I cannot overstate the effort that would have gone into digging such large wells with stone, wood and bone tools,” said Gaffney.
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
