New Stonehenge Findings Nicknamed “Super-Henge”

New Stonehenge Findings Nicknamed Super-Henge

On Monday archaeologists from Britain discovered a new “Stonehenge” site approximately two miles from its famous yet mysterious neighbor.

Located at the Durington  Walls, 90 miles south of London, it is said to be five times larger than Stonehenge.

Vince Gaffney, who is head of Landscape Archaeology and Geomatics at the University of Birmingham said, “We don’t think there’s anything quite like this anywhere else in the world, this is completely new and the scale is extraordinary,” telling Discovery News.

Durington Walls was the settlement for a Neolithic group, and later became a “henge” site. It is believed to have been 3,500-4,500 years old. Even though it is lesser known than the iconic Stonehenge,  it still adds to the mystery of these “henges.” The archaeologists have evidence of a total of 90 buried stones beneath the bank of Durington Walls, some of which may have stood as tall as fifteen feet when they were originally put into place.

The Durington Walls were found by the Stonehenge Hidden Landscapes International team, who are led by Bradford and Birmingham Universities, as well as Austria’s Ludwig Boltzman Institute. The finding was apart of a five year project conducted by the team, and is known as the largest geophysical survey ever done. They were aided by ground penetrating radar scanners that can detect buried items of up to thirteen feet below the surface. The finding was announced September 7th at the British Science Festival in Yorkshire.

Part of the mystery is that stones were pushed over and covered with earth and chalk at some point in history for some unknown reason. Archaeologists believe the stones were formed into a “C” shape when still in place; the open mouth pointed towards the Avon River.

Gaffney also stated, “The new stone row could well be contemporary with the famous Stonehenge sarsen circle or even earlier,” he told Discovery News.

The archaeologists in the Stonehenge Hidden Landscapes team are still unsure on whether or not they will excavate the stones or allow them to remain buried an English Heritage Spokesman told The Guardian, “We will await any academic proposals and consider them.”

The Durington Walls finding shows that Stonehenge was actually the center of a major ceremonial area in the Neolithic period, making archaeologists reconsider everything known about Stonehenge. It is also believed the Durington Walls and Stonehenge areas eventually became settlements, maybe even one of the largest in Northern Europe.

The stones at Durington Walls could have possibly been brought there at the same time the stones were brought to Stonehenge. However, much is still unknown about either site and it is unclear on what is to be done regarding the Durington Walls.