Monolithic stone dating from the Neolithic era have been found buried near Stonehenge. According to archeologists, their new discovery could have been part of the Stonehenge complex and used as a ritual arena.
The 4,500-year-old stones were discovered at Durrington Walls under 3ft. The monument is in Wiltshire, just under two miles (3km) from Stonehenge. Some of the stones are measuring as much as15ft (4.5m) in length. According to archeologists, the monument was unique and built at an impressive scale and unique, researchers said.
An underground map of the area has been created in a five-year project of the Stonehenge Hidden Landscapes team. To reveal evidence of the 100 stones without undergoing an excavation, the researchers have been used remote sensing and geophysical imaging technology.
According to experts, the monument is thought to have been a Neolithic ritual site. At the era when it was still used, archeologists think that it has surrounded a dry valley leading into the River Avon and traces of springs.
The megaliths are believed to be fashioned from sandstone blocks and sarsen stones that can be found locally, mainly on Salisbury Plain and the Marlborough Downs in Wiltshire. Archeologists believe that, before incorporated the stones in the megalithic complex, they have been deliberately toppled over the south-eastern edge of the bank of the circular enclosure.
Lead researcher Vince Gaffney, of the University of Bradford, declared that the research team thinks that nothing similar to the newly discovered Neolithic monument has been found anywhere else in the world.
According to archaeologist Nick Snashall, the presence of the stones surrounding the site at Stonehenge adds a new chapter to the site story. Stonehenge is considered the largest Neolithic settlements in Europe.
Andy Rhind-Tutt, Heritage Trust founder, explained that the discovery is "an incredible discovery". Rhind-Tutt and University of Buckingham researchers have been involved in archeological research of another nearby site, Blick Mead, considered to be at least 9,500 years old. According to him, the megalithic monument found near Stonehenge bring the question about their significance for people of that epoch and why they have built all these incredible structures there.
