Stonehenge Discovery Reveals Older Religious Site Buried Beneath
An international team of archeologists identified what might be a huge lead into the mystery of Stonehenge.
It is believed the two uncovered pits found at the site were part of a large ancient sun-worship ceremony that took place before the stones were erected.
The old English legend is a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage Site and has fascinated people for centuries.
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The size and arrangement of the rocks has itself been a mystery for long, but the Stonehenge Hidden Landscapes Project discovered two new pits positioned within the Neolithic Cursus pathway that are aligned with the markers of sunset and sunrise on the longest day of the year, according to a BBC report.
The configuration is viewed when standing from the “heel stone” that sits just outside the main entrance of the henge.
It is likely that sun worshipers practiced their religion at the site long before the monument was built 5,000 years ago. They would have used stones, posts or fires to mark the sun and celebrate the midsummer solstice, The Inquisitr described.
Vince Gaffney, a professor at Birmingham University who serves as the project leader, summed up the discovery.
“This is the first time we have seen anything quite like this at Stonehenge and it provides a more sophisticated insight into how rituals may have taken place within the Cursus and the wider landscape,” said Gaffney.
The professor continued: “These exciting finds indicate that even though Stonehenge was ultimately the most important monument in the landscape, it may at times not have been the only, or most important, ritual focus and the area of Stonehenge may have become significant as a sacred site at a much earlier date.”
Many suspected that Stonehenge was largely used to mark astronomical dates and events, but the new findings give very solid clues as to the purpose behind the alignments.
The discovery may also shed more light on the identity of the ancient worshipers and the people of the region.
