Archaeologists May Have Found Stonehenge Prototype

Archaeologists say Stonehenge may have had a stripped-down wooden precursor hidden just three miles away. At Bulford, near the famous stone circle, they've identified two post holes that once held large timber pillars set 400 feet apart—aligned with the summer solstice sunrise and winter solstice sunset, much like Stonehenge itself, the BBC reports. Radiocarbon dating of items found in surrounding pits, including decorated pottery, carved animal bones, and a carefully placed disc-shaped flint knife, points to a construction date about 5,000 years ago, roughly half a millennium before Stonehenge's stones went up.

Researchers argue the find, discovered a decade ago but only recently analyzed, hints at a community already experimenting with solar alignments and seasonal gatherings before the iconic monument took shape. The Bulford site may even have been a camp for workers digging holes at Stonehenge, archaeologist Phil Harding tells National Geographic. English Heritage's Dr. Jennifer Wexler agrees with this theory, noting that the Bulford builders, like Stonehenge's builders, were early farmers whose survival hinged on tracking the sun and marking key turning points in the agricultural year, especially the depths of winter.