Wooden Prototype for Stonehenge Aligned with Solstice 500 Years Earlier
Near Stonehenge, a wooden structure believed to be a prototype aligned with the summer solstice was uncovered by Wessex Archaeology, dating back to approximately 2950 B.C.E., which is 500 years prior to the stone circle's alignment. This discovery occurred during an excavation for a housing project by the UK Ministry of Defence between 2015 and 2017 near Bulford, England, where artifacts such as grooved-ware pottery and animal bones were also found. Among 48 pits, two served as post holes for columns ranging from 12 to 14 feet tall, oriented towards the summer solstice sunrise, with a slight misalignment of one degree due to the width of the posts. Phil Harding proposed it might have been a camp for workers of Stonehenge. The results were revealed ahead of the summer solstice on June 21, although some experts expressed skepticism.
Key facts
- Wooden monument discovered near Stonehenge, about three miles away.
- Constructed around 2950 B.C.E., during the late Neolithic period.
- Found during excavations for a UK Ministry of Defence housing development (2015–2017).
- 48 pits contained artifacts; two were post holes with tapered walls.
- Posts were 12 to 14 feet tall, held by chalk rubble.
- Alignment with summer solstice sunrise, parallel to Stonehenge's sightlines.
- Alignment off by roughly one degree, attributed to post width.
- Stonehenge's solstice stones erected around 2500 B.C.E., about 500 years later.
Entities
Institutions
- Wessex Archaeology
- Stone x Sky
- Spanish National Research Council
- University of York
- National Geographic
- New Scientist
- Associated Press
- The Guardian
- Smithsonian Magazine
- Ministry of Defence
Locations
- Stonehenge
- Bulford
- England
- United Kingdom