Researchers have confirmed the existence of a massive series of Neolithic pits surrounding the Durrington Walls at the Stonehenge World Heritage Site, potentially identifying the largest prehistoric structure ever found in Britain.
A Monument of Colossal Scale Originally detected during initial research several years ago, the findings—published in the Internet Archaeology Journal—reveal a sophisticated arrangement of holes dug into the chalk landscape. The scale is immense: the pits are arranged in a precise circle or horseshoe pattern, with each pit measuring ten meters in diameter and plunging five meters deep (roughly the height of a two-story building).
Professor Vince Gaffney of the University of Bradford described the discovery as a "cohesive structure" that likely stands as "one of the largest prehistoric structures in Britain, if not the largest."
Engineering and Cosmology The layout of the pits suggests a high degree of planning and mathematical application by Neolithic builders. The pits are spaced at regular intervals, aligning with another monument near Larkhill.
"The circle is pretty accurate," Professor Gaffney noted. "It suggests that people were pacing the distances out to make sure that the pits were aligned at the same distance all the way around."
He believes this precision offers evidence that these ancient communities were counting and applying measurements to their construction. "They're inscribing something about their cosmology, their belief systems, into the earth itself in a very dramatic way," Gaffney added.
Uncovering the Invisible Because the pits are no longer visible to the naked eye and are too large for rapid excavation, the team surveyed 12 square kilometers of the landscape using advanced technology. They utilized narrow boreholes to extract sediment samples, which provided two key insights:
-
DNA Evidence: Analysis revealed the remains of animals, including cattle and sheep.
-
Dating: Dr. Tim Kinnaird from the University of St Andrews used luminescence dating to analyze when the sediment was last exposed to daylight.
Dr. Kinnaird, who referred to the site as a "super henge," explained that the dating confirms the pits are over 4,000 years old. Furthermore, the evidence shows the structure was maintained and kept open for a millennium. "So that spans changing cultures," he explained, highlighting the enduring significance of the site through generations.