Here’s a bit of interesting archaeological news. According to Monday’s edition of the I newspaper, for 22nd June 2020, a set of prehistoric pits have been discovered around the Durrington Walls henge near Stonehenge.
The article by Douglas Barrie, ‘New prehistoric monument discovered near Stonehenge’, runs
A major prehistoric monument has been discovered just a short distance from Stonehenge. Fieldwork and analysis revealed evidence of 20 or more massive shafts more than 10m (33ft) wide and 5m deep. they form a circle more than two kilometres in diameter around the Durrington Walls henge – the site of a large Neolithic settlement.
Analysis suggests that the features were excavated more than 4,500 years ago at around the time Durrington Walls was built. It is thought the shafts served as a boundary to sacred area or precinct.
Dr Richard Bates, of the University of St Andrews, said the shafts reveal “an even more complex society than we could ever imagine”.
He added: “Clearly sophisticated practices demonstrate that the people were so in tune with natural events to an extent that we can barely conceive in the modern world we live in today.”
Meanwhile, more than 3.6 million people tuned in to a livestream from Stonehenge for a virtual celebration of the summer solstice.
With the usual celebrations cancelled because of coronavirus, English Heritage broadcast footage from the Wiltshire landmark on its Facebook page instead.
It was only a few years ago that the Durrington Walls henge was discovered. This included evidence that the site had been used for feasting and would have supported a large population. I can’t remember much about it now, but it has been argued that Durrington Walls and Stonehenge formed a huge ritual landscape for the ritual journey of the dead to the afterlife. Or something like that.
Tags: 'I' Newspaper, Coronavirus, Douglas Barrie, Durrington Walls, English Heritage, Facebook, Richard Bates, St Andrews University, Stonehenge, Wiltshire
Beastrabban\'s Weblog 
June 26, 2020 at 6:40 am |
I find this fascinating and precisely why archaeology and history as so very important
July 2, 2020 at 4:44 pm |
According to psychic medium Grace Cooke (who chanelled the White Eagle teachings and founded the White Eagle Lodge) Stonehenge was a Sun temple, as revealed in her book ‘The Light in Britain’.