Stonehenge’s 5,000-year-old ‘prototype’ hailed as the ‘greatest find’ | History | News
These two troughs were about 120 meters (394 ft) apart and appear to form a straight line aligned with the rising sun on the summer solstice and the setting sun on the winter solstice.
Expert skyscape analysis by Dr Fabio Silva confirmed the alignment using reconstructions of the ancient sky, landscape and horizon, strengthening the interpretation that the structure was specifically positioned to mark the solstices.
Researchers now believe that this arrangement may represent the earliest known solstice alignment in Stonehenge geography, predating the erection of Stonehenge’s massive sarsen stones by nearly five centuries but generally contemporary with the earliest earthworks.
At a press conference, experts including Dr Harding, Dr Silva and Dr Matt Leivers from Wessex Archaeology, said the site suggested Neolithic communities may have gathered at Bulford to celebrate seasonal changes before more permanent monuments were built nearby.
Archaeologists believe the 5,000-year-old Neolithic structure discovered near Stonehenge may represent the oldest known solar alignment within the famous monument’s vast grounds.
Ruins found at Bulford in Wiltshire, about 5 km (3 mi) from Stonehenge, have been interpreted as a possible “prototype” for later solstice alignments of the site, history news site The Past reported; This indicates that the midsummer and midwinter sun may have been observed in the region at least 500 years earlier than previously thought.
The discovery was made during excavations carried out between 2015 and 2017 by Wessex Archeology on behalf of the Ministry of Defense and the Defense Infrastructure Organisation, as part of the Army Building Programme.
The wider project revealed features dating from the Early Neolithic period to the Second World War, but attention focused on a series of 48 pits along a hill ridge at Bulford.
The team, led by archaeologist Dr Phil Harding, found that the pits contained animal bones, Fluted Ceramic pottery, worked stone, charcoal, a carved chalk ball and a disc-shaped flint blade; this suggests that this area was used for banquets and possible ceremonial activities around 2950 BC.
Most of the pits were the same size, around 1 meter (3.3 ft) in diameter, but two were quite different, narrowing to a point and filled with chalk rubble that was believed to have supported large wooden poles.
They also added that it was possible that a similar arrangement was present in the earliest phase of Stonehenge, although any evidence was likely to have been destroyed by later construction.
Dr Silva said the discovery showed that Stonehenge should be understood as part of a much older tradition of sky observation, rather than a single moment of creation.
He said: “This discovery helps us understand Stonehenge not as a singular creation but as part of a much longer conversation between people, land and sky. The alignment shows that communities were already preoccupied with both the summer and winter solstices in the Stonehenge landscape, centuries before the sarsen stones were raised.”
Dr Harding described the find as “probably one of the greatest finds of my career”, adding that prehistoric societies were able to track the movements of the sun with remarkable accuracy.
He said: “The sun was incredibly important to these prehistoric societies, and they were able to plan and record its mid-summer rise with high accuracy. What makes this discovery so important is how early it was.”
