‘Superhenge’ once lined Stonehenge neighborhood

A village in southern England near Stonehenge boasted an imposing stone monument of its own. As many as 90 large stones once surrounded Durrington Walls before being intentionally buried, archaeologist Vince Gaffney of the University of Bradford announced on September 7 at the British Science Festival.

Durrington Walls dates to around 4,600 years ago, (SN: 2/3/07, p. 67). Ground-penetrating radar has revealed a set of massive stones, some of which were up to 4.5 meters high, lying under an earthen bank bordering part of the site. These stones were pushed over and covered by soil used to construct the bank, Gaffney said. As many as 30 stones remain intact. Other stones are fragmentary or denoted only by massive pits.

The newly discovered stone row may date at least to Stonehenge’s inception, nearly 5,000 years ago, Gaffney speculated.