Archaeologists discover ancient trenches near Stonehenge

Tuesday, June 23rd: Archaeologists have unearthed thousands of years old trenches, near Stonehenge in Britain, reportedly dug in a circle.

Research has shown that a 1.2 mile long circle of trenches five meters deep and ten meters wide was made. The circle appears to have formed around the ancient town of Drington Walls, about three kilometres from Stonehenge.

Testing has revealed that the excavation was carried out during the Neolithic period (the last stages of the Stone Age) about 4500 years ago. Experts believe that about 20 of these trenches were dug to protect a sacred area near Stonehenge.

A team of experts from the universities of St Andrews, Birmingham, Wark, Glasgow and the University of Wales have worked on the project. Dr. Richard Bates, of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of St. Andrew’s, says: “The use of sophisticated methods clearly tells us that the people of that era were so close to natural phenomena that we cannot even imagine in modern times.”

His colleague Tim Cunard says the soil samples taken from the trenches contain a lot of environmental information that we didn’t know before. He said the discovery would allow experts to record detailed information about the Stonehenge area over the past 4,000 years.

Archaeologist Dr. Nick Sanchez of the National Trust for Stonehenge has called it a “surprising discovery.”

“Stonehenge makers lived and ate in the Drington Walls township, and these details will help us understand the broader story of Stonehenge and our ancestors of that time.” The discovery was announced on Summer Solstice (the longest day of the year). This year’s annual event at Stonehenge was canceled due to the coronavirus.