On September 10th 2014, researchers from the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute and the University of Birmingham in the UK published digital maps that reveal 17 new structures beneath the ground at Stone Henge. The megalithic monument was apparently part of a larger complex of shrines.
The Hidden Stone Henge Landscape Project was conducted using magnetometers, ground penetrating radar, and 3D laser scanners. Much is being made of the discovery at the Durrington Walls, which is only a stone's throw from Stone Henge. The "super henge," structure is a massive 1.5 kilometers in circumference, and is believed to be the largest structure of its kind, in the world. The maps have revealed that the structure was surrounded by rows of posts or stones,with 60 totems that were up to 3 meters high.
Researchers have discovered prehistoric pits, some with astronomical alignments, homes from the Bronze and Iron Ages, and dozens of burial mounds. One of the structures is a long barrow which incorporated a huge timber building. It is believed that this was probably part of a process that exposed the dead to the elements before de-fleshing them for burial.
The maps, when put together, reveal an area that spans the size of 1,250 soccer fields and offers archeologists a chance to gain a deeper understanding of the Stone Henge monument. The new finds have shown that Stone Henge was not the quiet, solemn shrine on a wind swept Salisbury plain, as once believed, but at one time, it was a bee hive of activity. However, with these new finds, the mystery continues.
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