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LONDON – Archaeologists have discovered a wooden version of British prehistoric monument Stonehenge at the same site, the project\u2019s leader told Reuters on Thursday.<\/p>\nLONDON – Archaeologists have discovered a wooden version of British prehistoric monument Stonehenge at the same site, the project\u2019s leader told Reuters on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Using radar, the archaeologists found a circular ditch less than one kilometre away from the iconic stone circle, which is thought to date back to the Neolithic period 2,000 to 4,000 years ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis finding is remarkable,\u201d said project leader Vince Gaffney, professor of archaeology at the University of Birmingham.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will completely change the way we think about the landscape around Stonehenge.\u201d<\/p>\n
The ditch has internal pits about a metre wide which could have held timber posts. It measures 25 metres (82 ft) in diameter, just five metres less than Stonehenge.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom the general shape, we would guess it dates backs to about the time when Stonehenge was emerging at its most complex,\u201d Gaffney said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is probably the first major ceremonial monument that has been found in the past 50 years or so.<\/p>\n
It was likely that the two henges were built around the same time, Gaffney added.<\/p>\n
Radar images show the wooden henge has two entrances and inside the circle is a burial mound which was probably erected at a later time.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will not excavate. This is a virtual dig. We couldn\u2019t excavate at this scale anyway,\u201d Gaffney said.<\/p>\n
He is confident the team will uncover more remains at the site as the project continues.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have absolutely no doubt. Stonehenge is not just by itself. We have a massive virtual landscape (to explore),\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
There is much speculation about what Stonehenge was used for, ranging from sacrificial rituals to astronomy.<\/p>\n
The project is supported by the site\u2019s landowner the National Trust and the English Heritage. It involves the University of Birmingham, the University of Bradford and the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Archaeological Prospection and Virtual Archaeology in Austria.<\/p>\n
The find comes after the UK government withdrew 10 million pounds of funding in June for a separate project to improve the landscape at the Stonehenge site.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LONDON – Archaeologists have discovered a wooden version of British prehistoric monument Stonehenge at the same site, the project\u2019s leader told Reuters on Thursday. Using radar, the archaeologists found a circular ditch less than one kilometre away from the iconic stone circle, which is thought to date back to the \u2026<\/p>\n