Stonehenge had neighbouring shrines

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Stonehenge had neighbouring shrines

Post by kbot » 09-10-2014 10:59 AM

Stuff like this has always fascinated me......

Stonehenge had neighbouring shrines

A vast complex of monuments surrounding Britain's prehistoric Stonehenge site has been revealed using hi-tech underground scanning, archaeologists said on Wednesday.

The mysterious circle of standing stones, on Salisbury Plain in southwest England, is one of the most iconic ancient sites in Europe and was long thought to stand alone.

But high-resolution scanning of the 12 square kilometres around it, penetrating three metres below the ground, has found it was surrounded by 17 neighbouring shrines.

"Stonehenge is the most iconic archaeological monument, possibly along with the pyramids, on the planet," project leader Professor Vincent Gaffney told the British Science Festival in Birmingham, central England.

"Most of the area around Stonehenge is terra incognita. It has never been explored and everything we think about Stonehenge is on the basis of what we don't know about it.

"This is going to change how we view Stonehenge. It is not yet another find from Stonehenge, it's a fundamental step forward in the way we understand it."

The four-year study used magnetometers - advanced metal detectors - ground-penetrating radar, electromagnetic sensors and three-dimensional laser scanners.

It uncovered finds dating back 6000 years, including evidence of 17 previously unknown wooden or stone structures as well as dozens of burial mounds.

They include giant pits, some of which appear to form astronomical alignments.

The nearby Durrington Walls "super-henge", which has a circumference of nearly 1.5 kilometres, was once flanked by up to 60 posts or stones up to three metres high, the scans showed.

Many burial mounds were found, including one barrow 33 metres long, within which signs of a giant timber building were found.

It is suggested this was the site of complex rituals involving the dead, including the removal of flesh and limbs.

"This project has revealed that the area around Stonehenge is teeming with previously unseen archaeology and that the application of new technology can transform how archaeologists and the wider public understand one of the best-studied landscapes on Earth," said Gaffney.

"New monuments have been revealed, as well as new types of monument that have previously never been seen by archaeologists."

A UNESCO world heritage site, Stonehenge is one of the most impressive prehistoric megalithic monuments anywhere due to its size, sophisticated concentric plan and architectural precision.

It is suggested that the layout formed a theatrical arrangement, with Stonehenge gradually emerging from the landscape as visitors walked towards it on an ancient processional route.

http://technology.iafrica.com/news/959810.html
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Post by Fan » 09-10-2014 01:45 PM

there is so much we don't know, it is astounding. I love ancient sites and visited tons of them while in Britain. You could spend your lifetime visiting and studying these sites and still have basically no clue what they were for.
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Post by kbot » 09-10-2014 05:38 PM

Fan wrote: there is so much we don't know, it is astounding. I love ancient sites and visited tons of them while in Britain. You could spend your lifetime visiting and studying these sites and still have basically no clue what they were for.


It's been a dream of mine to get to England and Ireland - doubt I'll get there.
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Post by Fan » 09-11-2014 08:24 AM

kbot wrote: It's been a dream of mine to get to England and Ireland - doubt I'll get there.


Never say never. It is a magical place, literally, lots of people believe in magic and magical creatures, and you start to as well as you wander around these crazy huge stone obelisks.

I recently watched a Doctor Who about stone circles that was good - fun way to explain them and druidism etc.

watch here: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x9gpf9 ... shortfilms

spoilers here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stones_of_Blood
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Post by kbot » 09-11-2014 07:51 PM

Hey - firm believer of magic and love folklore. I think that there's something to be said for ley lines, for example. Find it fascinating that many old megalithic structures are sited along ley lines, and ow these lines extend for hundreds of miles. I think that the older religions truly possessed some knowledge that our modern, more "enlightened" society is totally oblivious of......
There you go man, keep as cool as you can. Face piles and piles of trials with smiles. It riles them to believe that you perceive the web they weave. And keep on thinking free. (Moody Blues)

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