Posted on 06/15/2010 2:16:33 PM PDT by Beowulf9
A prehistoric village has been discovered in southern England that was likely home to the builders of Stonehenge, archaeologists announced on January 30, 2007 (read the full story).
The village, located 1.75 miles (2.8 kilometers) from the famous stone circle, includes eight wooden houses dated back to around 2500 B.C.
The remains of a cluster of homes include the outlines of floors, beds, and cupboards. Tools, jewelry, pottery, and human and animal bones were also found.
The excavated houses formed part of a much bigger settlement dating back to the Late Stone Age, according to project leader Mike Parker Pearson of England's Sheffield University.
"We could have many hundreds of houses here," Parker Pearson added. "Our dates for the building of Stonehenge are identical to the dates for this very large settlement."
The village stood next to a newly revealed stone avenue, partly visible in the excavation ditch at top right, which once led from a large timber circle to the nearby River Avon.
The site was excavated in 2006 as part of the Stonehenge Riverside Project.
Ping to you!
Did they have cars with stone wheels and dinosaur cranes?
WOODEN??? and they are STILL there??
I’m really starting to hate whoever built Stonehenge for whatever reason they built it. It’s getting to be one of those annoying mysteries.
The site was originally found in 2007 but National Geographic has a good article on the internet today, with some interesting photos.
Since they went to Stonehenge Dec 21, winter solstice, I wonder what made them go there in such cold weather.
I wonder if they’ll find any writing. Can’t imagine that construction, so precise, not having written plans.
I’m sorry, but those Stonehengey planned communities just aren’t attractive and they’re impossible to landscape..
Saw that on SciFi this weekend. It was SO lame that it was entertaining.
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Thanks Beowulf9, it's been a while since the last Stonehenge article. |
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ya mean it was not constructed by Aliens?
Seriously, though, if drawings exist of Egyptian stuff, why is it so hard to find at least scratchings on frigging rock of what they were doing?
The article makes it sound as if they are still there, but I’ll bet they mean there is evidence that there were once wooden houses there.
This map shows the location of Durrington Walls and its position in relation to Stonehenge.
The latest excavations in the area suggest Stonehenge formed part of a much larger ritual complex that was spread across the surrounding landscape.
The newly found avenue at Durrington Walls connects the monument to the River Avon, which in turn links to another avenue downstream, which leads to Stonehenge.
Mike Parker Pearson of the Stonehenge Riverside Project argues that the course of the river between the two ancient monuments symbolized the passage to the afterlife.
Durrington Walls was used for feasts and rituals that celebrated life, while Stonehenge was both a memorial and final resting place for the dead, the archaeologist speculates.
...and THAT'S why they built it! Think about it - they didn't have the internet back then so what's the next best thing they could do? Build a stone monument that will puzzle people for millenia, of course!
It is amazing how many Neolithic sites are being "discovered" throughout Europe. The hottest area is apparently remote mountain tops in Southern Italy
Note: this topic is from 6/15/2010. Thanks Beowulf9.Not a ping, not even a re-ping, just adding a little more info and updating the ping message.
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