Solstice-aligned 5,000-year-old monument ‘once in a lifetime find’, say archaeologists

Live updates

1. 12d ago

   5,000-Year-Old Timber Monument Shows Earliest Known Solstice Alignment

   Archaeologists found a ceremonial wooden structure near Stonehenge used to track the summer and winter solstices. The find suggests prehistoric people marked these events centuries before the stone circle existed. It is described as a once in a lifetime find.

   What's confirmed:

   • The ceremonial monument is 5,000 years old.
   • The structure predates the Stonehenge stone circle by centuries.
   • The monument was used to track summer and winter solstices.

   Still unconfirmed:

   • The structure consisted of two wooden posts that aligned precisely with the summer sunrise and winter sunset.
   • The monument represents the earliest known solstice alignment in the area.
   confidence 90%
2. 14d ago

   Archaeologists find 5,000-year-old solar alignment prototype in Bulford

   Wessex Archaeology uncovered a wooden structure used to track winter and summer solstices. Phil Harding led the team that found the monument. It predates the Stonehenge stone circle by hundreds of years.

   What's confirmed:

   • Phil Harding led a team from Wessex Archaeology that discovered a 5,000-year-old monument in Bulford.
   • The structure served as a prototype for the solar alignment at Stonehenge.
   • The monument predates the Stonehenge stone circle by hundreds of years.
   confidence 100%
3. 15d ago

   5,000-Year-Old Solstice Monument Found Near Stonehenge

   Wessex Archaeology discovered a wooden structure in Bulford used to track the summer and winter solstices. The site predates the Stonehenge stone circle by 500 years. Phil Harding led the team that uncovered the monument.

   What's confirmed:

   • The monument is located in Bulford, three miles from Stonehenge.
   • The structure was used to observe the summer and winter solstices.
   • The site dates back approximately 5,000 years.
   • The monument predates the arrangement of the Stonehenge stones by 500 years.
   • Wessex Archaeology conducted the excavation.

   Still unconfirmed:

   • The structure served as a prototype for Stonehenge.
   • The site consists of two wooden posts and 48 pits.
   confidence 90%
4. 16d ago

   Archaeologists discover 5,000-year-old Stonehenge prototype in Wiltshire

   Wessex Archaeology uncovered a solstice-aligned monument in Bulford, located 3 miles from Stonehenge. The site consists of two wooden posts and 48 pits used to observe the summer and winter solstices. Experts describe the find as a "once in a lifetime" discovery.

   What's confirmed:

   • The monument is located in Bulford, Wiltshire, 5 kilometers or 3 miles from Stonehenge.
   • The structure consists of two wooden posts 120 metres apart aligned with the summer and winter solstices.
   • Radiocarbon dating places the site at approximately 3000 BC.
   • Archaeologists found 48 pits containing pottery, animal bone, worked flints, and charcoal.
   • The site is described by archaeologists as a "once in a lifetime" find.
   • Wessex Archaeology believes the monument served as a prototype for Stonehenge.

   Still unconfirmed:

   • Half of the monument is located under someone's living room.
   • The prototype was built 500 years before the main Stonehenge monument.
   • A rare discoidal Neolithic knife was deposited upright in one of the pits.
   confidence 90%