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Lefteris Pitarakis / AP
People raise their hands in meditation during the 2010 summer solstice at Stonehenge.
Researchers say they've found two pits to the east and west of Stonehenge that may have played a role in an ancient midsummer ceremony. The discovery suggests that the 5,000-year-old circle of stones we see today may represent just a few of the pieces in a larger geographical, astronomical and cultural puzzle.
The previously undetected pits could provide clues for solving the puzzle.
"These exciting finds indicate that even though Stonehenge was ultimately the most important monument in the landscape, it may at times not have been the only, or most important ritual focus, and the area of Stonehenge may have become significant as a sacred site at a much earlier date," Vince Gaffney, an archaeology professor at the University of Birmingham, said in a news release issued over the weekend.
The pits, which measure about 16 feet (5 meters wide) and at least 3 feet (1 meter) deep, have been covered over for centuries and can't easily be spotted on the ground. But they showed up in a survey that was conducted using non-invasive mapping techniques such as ground-penetrating radar and magnetometry. The survey is part of the Stonehenge Hidden Landscape Project, which was initiated last year with backing from the University of Birmingham's IBM Visual and Spatial Technology Center and the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Archaeological Prospection and Virtual Archaeology in Vienna.
The placement of the pits is intriguing: They were found on the eastern and western sides of the Cursus, a racetrack-style enclosure north of Stonehenge itself that spans 1.5 miles (2.5 kilometers) from east to west and is up to 100 yards (meters) wide. From the perspective of an observer standing at the Heel Stone, a massive upright stone just outside Stonehenge's main circle, the sun would rise just above the eastern pit on the day of the summer solstice, which is the longest day of the year. The same observer would see the sun set that evening in line with the western pit.
National Geographic
A map of the Stonehenge area shows the placement of the stone circle and the Cursus, as well as another monument known as Woodhenge and a suggested ceremonial route between the monuments.
Archaeologists have previously noted that the Cursus was apparently created several hundred years before Stonehenge's 5,000-year-old stone circle was erected. The newly detected pits may have been part of a grand layout that guided the placement of the standing stones.
But to what end?
Gaffney, who led the survey project, speculated that the Cursus was the central stage for a midsummer ritual that was enacted long before Stonehenge's heyday. "The perimeter of the Cursus may well have defined a route guiding ceremonial processions which took place on the longest day of the year," he said.
In addition to the pits, Gaffney and his colleagues found a previously undetected gap in the middle of the northern side of the eroded earthwork that defines the sides of the Cursus. They propose that ceremonial leaders entered the Cursus through that gap, and then gathered at the eastern pit to conduct sunrise rituals. Over the course of the day, participants in the rituals might have made their way westward, ending up at the western pit at sunset.
"Observers of the ceremony would have been positioned at the Heel Stone, [with] which the two pits are aligned," Gaffney said.
Henry Chapman, another archaeologist at the University of Birmingham, said Stonehenge's position would have added to the symbolism. "If you measure the walking distance between the two pits, the procession would reach exactly halfway at midday, when the sun would be directly on top of Stonehenge," he said in the news release. "This is more than just coincidence, indicating that the exact length of the Cursus and the positioning of the pits are of significance."
The researchers suggested that the pits may have contained tall sighting stones, or wooden posts, or even fires to symbolize the sun. Just imagine how it would feel to watch the sun rise from a fire lit before dawn, follow its movement across the sky in time with a daylong procession, and then see it fall into the flames at sunset.
"Stonehenge may have been emerging as an important area for quite a long time, and sometimes you can't necessarily see that in the standing archaeology," Gaffney said in an MP3 podcast provided by the University of Birmingham. "The stones themselves, which are generally later, don't give you that information. You have to infer it from relationships between multiple monuments."
The researchers aren't anywhere close to finishing the puzzle: Gaffney figures there's at least another two years' worth of survey work to do. Even then, the full story of Stonehenge and its environs may remain wrapped in mystery. How much can stones and earth tell? Stay tuned ...
More about Stonehenge:
- Did Stonehenge start out as a cemetery?
- ... Or was it a place of healing?
- Gallery: Secrets of Stonehenge
- Gallery: Seven mysteries of archaeology
Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter and adding the Cosmic Log page to your Google+ presence. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.
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stonehenge is a part of family history according to both grandfathers. the people or natives a sthey are called would have mainly used it as a family and heritage cultural thing,family right whe teens became of age. then into adulthood. some sacrifices were made to the gods. but, mainly was used a a cultural thing to the gods. some of the people even know how to use the powers of stonehenge. i happen to be one that does. i know uses of this power thought my grandfather on my mother side.on my fathers side .the irish and believe this helps transcend the living and the dead. to go into the spirit world.
Do you ever wonder why no one takes you seriously? Turn off the sci-fi channel, it's clouding your judgement.
I guess Stonehenge powers don't include heightened grammar and spelling.
a look at the aerial view shows concentric circles around a center area; laying out the days of the year and shortest day and longest day; they are dated to a least 3000 b.c.; without mathematical calculations, it is a mystery how a stone-age culture could come up with such a calender; or ma-by our history goes back much further than we are willing to admit .
So, exactly how many hours are in the longest day and how many in the shortest?
as i said ealier. i was taught that stonehenge was for cultural rights . some rituals may have occurred to prove to the gods that humans are infalable. according to family heritage. my grandfatheres said that the legends of stonehenge,served as a cemetery and rituals of godlike heritage right .in the case of pagans. the rituals were deaths to serve the the devils aand demons of the time. i even heard a story merlin was called to prevent demonic activity and save the christians who believed in the rituals of family heritage right.meaning becoming a certain age .sacrifices and offerring to the gods to please the gods.this story has not been vlidated. i was told it was egyptian and irish myth beliefs.
So, you would be from the ee cummings school of writing.
iam a science buff and int the the paranormal activities of the sprit world. i have died more than 12 time and come back. i also had been in outer body experiences and innerbody. they are both heavenly and divine when experiences.
hey i am highly interested in that stuff can i email u on these matters i am a scientific guy and seem to becoming a more religious person as well as time goes by. here is my email (hopefully now one spams me) scottas10@hotmail.com. I just got done reading saved by the light about a not so good guy who had 2 NDE's and became a highly spiritual person afterwards.
You have died twelve times and come back? Why do I find this highly dubious? Can you provide cold, hard evidence from medical records to prove this? You seem far more interested in drawing attention to yourself than in discussing the article. Are you trying to gather a cult following or something? If so, this is not the place for it.
kristi nicholson bachman
Avez-vous une ordonnance pour les médicaments que vous avez pris avant d'écrire votre commentaire?
I'm guessing several of those deaths were due to drug overdose?
Well, they certainly weren't due to over-studying grammar and punctuation, that's for sure!
kristi nicholson bachman, you have come back from the dead more than 12 times ...! Hmmm, sounds like you are heavily into the occult.
The stonehenge monument is simply the place were satan worshipers met or still meet and perform wierd gross rituals. Could someone tell me why on earth the people in the picture have their arms outstretched towards the rising sun? Is it some pagan ritual or what?
oh , i missed it at first ,
"People raise their hands in meditation during the 2010 summer solstice at Stonehenge".
I maintain that that place is evil ...every man that walks about there attracts a curse into thier lives unknowingly.
Blonde, I visited Stonehenge a few months ago and it was an incredible sight. Not "evil" at all. Whatever motivated the people to erect such a monument is fascinating. So far no curse either, but I will keep an eye out for it.
Those people are holding their hands up to protect their eyes from the sun.
Wow. This story really lifted the big rock, didn't it?
Apparently that is where most of the comments are coming from @seriouslynow haha
Stonehenge is amazing and hope that I can, someday, visit (as long as I am wearing my non-curse-attire that is). Anyway, some of these people are pretty much insane and are probably trying to summon the spirit of their late goldfish to give them upcoming lotto numbers.....
hmmmmmmm I am getting a presence......its my deceased puppy......he said.... "woof"
Disabled_Vet... I sense you doubt the powers of the under-pet-world. May a pack a ghostly hamsters descend upon your basement floor. And no lotto numbers for you!
OK ---
Now if they uncover one of the pits and discover a StarGate "DHD", I would really suggest that they bury it all again, because I don't think we are ready to take on the Goa'uld ~!
It was a ancient shopping mall.
I'd rather listen to kristi's silly paranormal assertions than blonde's "everything that doesn't fit my idea of religion is evil" rants.
so going to church isnt gross either ?? this is my BLOOD drink it ... this is my BODY ..eat it GROSS!!!
the architectural finds coming out of Libya and Iraq now are far more ANCIENT and fascinating then freakin Stonehenge
yeah they found batteries in Iraq. Crude by our standards but at one time they had working batteries!
Smooth, we have known about those for ages. They were originally found in Baghdad. Mythbusters did a segment about those and what they could have been used for (name Baghdad Battery).
supposedly they were used for night time construction, they were crude light bulbs.
Yes, our unprovoked act of war against Iraq was responsible not only for the deaths of countless innocent people but also the theft and destruction of countless artifacts precious to all civilized human beings -- that, of course, would not include Bush and his partners in crime.
LOL ---- Jeez, the posters on here don't even try to keep up.
1) Stonehenge will always be a huge mystery because it a) came from a society without any form of writing and b) the site was extensively mucked with to create a tourist attraction. BTW, the stones were originally nicely dressed and the uprights had nipples on top that fit into sockets on the lintels. Several squared sides were preserved when the stones fell over in antiquity and at least 4 nipples and all the sockets remain intact.
2) The astounding stuff right now is coming out of Gobekli Tepe in south-central Turkey. This site is not only an astounding 11,600 years plus old, but has richly decorated stonework that survives in near-perfect condition. This one is worth googling because the carvings on the stones is absolutely way beyond anything found even close to that age. National Geographic has some great pictures that are well worth looking for.
3) The "Baghdad Battery" was most probably used for the same purpose that it was used for in that region currently and in China since pre-history --- electroplating. Being able to plate gold or silver onto base metals was as desirable (for eithe cheap jewelry or fraud) then as it is today. There has never been much debate about the uses of such batteries because we have electro-plated jewelry from Iraq that would be contemporaneous. There is documentation from the Ming dynasty on building batteries to do both electro-plating of jewelry, but also in chrome plating weaponry to preserve them from rust and dulling. The art of chrome electro-plating was lost until the early 1900's. The Mythbusters thing was pretty silly and much more intended as entertainment than any useful function.
4) I have no idea what "architectural" finds are coming out of Libya and Iraq except the stone circles in the Sahara. Because of the turmoil in both countries, very few digs of importance have been going on in either country in years. While archeologists are often dumb enough to risk their lives in such areas, the parents of grad students won't let their kids go and they are the basic slave labor of research. The same goes for Tunisia, Morrocco, Egypt, Syria, Palestine and a number of regions within other countries.
There are diagrammed paintings of egyptians using batteries connected to what appears to be something similar to a light bulb. And we know they had electroplating mastered.
From an early age we're taught that modern civilization is getting smarter and smarter, and while it's true we may have different technology, but there is overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Because they found 2 pits next to a circle of rocks, they assume this was the "most important monument in the landscape". How do you read that without laughing out loud at the adsurdity of the suggestion? The only thing "monumental" is the assumptions being made.
I swear I think I will keel over and die if I can ever read comments to an article that didn't have some political bashing. You people that are so loyal to the Right or so loyal to the Left are missing half of the big picture.
I would like to see the original data from the GPR devices.
Having used GPR crews countless times to look for underground utilities, I can tell you from experience they have a good idea of not only the dimensions of the pit, but what's in the pit. 3 feet bgs for those things is nothing, Ive made it 12 feet down in sand before we lost the return signal.
I wouldnt be surprised if they found some type of bones/remnants of animal/human sacrifice.
If that is the case, why not just come out and say that's what they found?
Please stop making this a cultural war between East and West. If you take the time and effort to study the Neolithic age you see all of our ancestors were intelligent enough to create the first sea faring empire. It's been proven years ago that a number of the elite burials at Stonehenge are of people from the European mainland and the Mediterranean and thus indicating travel by sea and land and cultural exchange. The megalithic builders did have a written language and were obviously organized. To build with stones that weigh tons requires cooperation among many people. There are a number of web sites and books on the people who built the megaliths and if you look ito it you will see it was world wide.
Chris and Villian, I appreciate your posts. Imagine where we'd be with technology if we didn't have periodic "dark ages" during which time much knowledge is lost. Hero of Alexandria perfected a steam engine 2000 years ago, which was on a small scale, but just think of what could have been accomplished had that technology not been lost for about 1700 years?
We should be incredibly skeptical of the alleged "Egyptian Light Bulb". There's a huge amount of modern bias involved when identifying the objects depicted in the carvings as such. Our minds tend to equate an unknown to something with which we're familiar. Not only that, but when people are told they are about to see a picture of an ancient light bulb, they tend to see a light bulb. When they're simply shown a picture of the carvings with no leading information, they rarely identify it as a light bulb. In addition, there's no clear imagery of these objects being connected to any sort of battery.
Modern day Iraq is ancient Sumeria. The supposed cradle of civilization.
To see-
The uncovering of another mystery.
What a shame the replies are not related to anything sensible. I wish there were photos or better diagrams. I can do without flights of fantasy. The scientific results are fantastic enough.
I agree. Just tell us the facts; theres some rocks in a peculiar shape and now we found a couple holes filled in. ALL THE REST is speculation.
I finally someone that's thinking and not dreaming (what if, what if, what if).
"Researchers say they've found two pits to the east and west of Stonehenge..."
And then these journalists present us a map which does not show the locations of these wonderful pits.
sorry dublicate post
I went and saw it 35 years ago. It was imposing then and brought forth questions of culture that may never be solved. If you go to see it, be aware of the history as it is known to get a greater understanding of the extremely puzzling clues left behind.
what i dont get is why we do not drill or something under the sphinx. Many rumors float around about how something of importance is there including a scientific Japanese team who confirmed that there is indeed a shaft under their. I say screw it, damage it a bit and find what the hell is in there. People are taking preservation to the extreme. We can always repair it. Its worth the damage, including what the hell is in the kings chamber.
The Egyptian government views digging under the Sphinx as a no-win situation. If you dig and find nothing, part of the mystery of the Sphinx is gone and hurts tourism. If you dig and find something the Sphinx will be closed while the Archeologists take it over for years and it hurts tourism. So digging gets the Egyptian government precisely nothing, so they don't allow it.
These pits could have been the privy for all those people too.
I missed your post earlier, probably because I was trying to find the technical name for "petrified poop", but it is the thought that counts, and in this instance great minds think alike! :D
I think you were searching for "coprolite", although "fewmets" might also apply.
But I believe our initial thought was the same - petrified poopies.
Coprolite is fossilized poop usually associated with dinosaurs in popular culture. It has petrified to the point that minerals have replaced the actual poop so it is actually stone. It takes millions of years to happen so poop from Stonehenge or Sumeria or any other site from ancient human civilization wouldn't be old enough. It also takes the right conditions. Poop tends to rot, thank goodness! Wouldn't want that stuff hanging around forever. The interest in ancient latrines is that people used to throw other garbage in as well. Some interesting trash can be found in those so archeologists love a good old privy!
I stand corrected. "Poopies" it is.
My thought as well... Wonder what in 1000 years they'll call the latrines built buy US servicemen in Iraq. Pits for human sacrifice to the great war god GWB and they'll explain the lack of bones to them being ground up for food powder.
Occam's razor!
For Stonehenge... I'm sure someone will make up some complex BS that can never be proven and that will become the accepted standard.
I'm sure they'll be more surprised by the million people in the actual mass graves Saddam filled. Too bad you couldn't have joined them. Our ancestors could have wondered where the pinheaded ET came from. And we wouldn't have to listen to your stupid ...
The pits were defecation/tent sites used by the ancient OHS (Occupy StoneHenge) protesters.
@Stop The Hypocrisy:
You wrote this:
I considered "coprolite", but after studying the definition for a while, I think that it applies specifically to animals rather than to humans, so after a bit more research I found "paleofeces", which is specific to humans . . .
[NOTE: There is a bit of overlap in the definitions, so it might be that "petrified poop" is a "coprolite" and can be animal or human, but "paleofeces" is more specific to "prehistoric human poop", while "fewmets" is more recent animal poop, all of which is interesting if you enjoy studying words and dictionaries (a personal favorite pastime here in the sound isolation studio) . . . ]
Curiously (or perhaps not so curiously, depending upon one's perspective), there are scientists who specialize in this particular field of research, and it is a key aspect of paleonutrition research, including archeobiology and the aforementioned specializations, as well as palynology, really . . .
http://climatechange.umaine.edu/Research/Contrib/html/12.html
http://www.paleoresearch.com/services/paleofecescoprolites.html
Really! :D
After enjoying quite a few cups of very strong coffee, I had the amusing epiphany that we are having a discussion about Stonehenge poop in a surreal blog called "Cosmic Log", which is fabulous . . .
Fabulous! :D
P101, too bad Bush caused the demise of the peoples who created Stonehenge or we'd know, as I'm sure they'd have written language by now.
All paleontology students start with the simplest questions on their first examinations, such as: "Choose the most obvious reason that many ancient societies arranged their outhouses in circular pattterns".
Because ____runs downhill.
To honor the great ___hole.
To make their ____— easier to find in the dark.
john moser, you are suspended for a day for violating rule # 1 of the Code of Honor.
All things considered, I think that the "researchers" have discovered the men's and women's latrines, which one might expect should be easily verified by a consultation with a paleontologist and paleoecologist who can lead the search for paleofeces and the elusive petrified circular portals to the "underworld", which based on the specified dimensions should have been sufficient for an array of outhouses that could provide convenient respite from the consequences of several thousand Druids consuming hundreds of firkins of mead and whatever snacks were served during the Druid analog of Ozzfest or Woodstock, really . . .
Really! :D
Interesting, well sort of, except for that Kristi. Are you a Druid? I'm an atheist myself. I believe in Santa Claus but have never seen him--Yet.
He's seen you...
gunman-3813827 What about the IPU and the FSM? Santa has failed me too many times. Back to REALITY: There are a tremendous number of us atheists and until "mystical believers" stop telling us that rocks lined up with the sun is a "religion" we have to keep up the logical fight. Atheists do not read BS into a bunch of rocks or "outhouse pits" and we do not fly planes into buildings, either.
Right on Randy. I don't buy any of the mystical crap, and I sure as hell do not buy into any form of religions.
@gunman-381... -- I should have known I could count on you for a chuckle.
@Randy-377... -- Like you and @gunman-... -- I am an American Athiest. These people didn't know where the sun goes at night. So, they prayed it would come back again tomorrow!
You put your trust in atheism, eh? Well I guess everyone has to believe in something. ;D
Its more like put your faith in atheism, then deride those who put their faith elsewhere. But of course call those who put their faith elsewhere arrogant and wrong for not believing in your faith lol
To the Athiests - I also am an athiest, but respect that other people feel the need to believe in some mythology or other. Stonehenge was (probably) part of some culture's mythology. Modern day Christian mythology, and all religious beliefs, are no different, shrines and all. I still wonder what Stonehenge looked like when first constructed, how was it used, why is it there, many questions that may never be answered. Because I don't believe the myths of religions, doesn't mean I don't find them all fascinating. Yes ItsRick, somethimes ancient people did pray the sun would come back tomorrow, but aren't you a little bit interested in why they did that? Dang, I am! If we all go about only interested in our own personal beliefs without making any effort to at least know about other beliefs, then we are on a path of destruction as a culture. Oh, we have already started walking down that path....
Let someone say a word like "Druid" in regards to this story about Stonehenge, and SOME atheist fanatics come out of the woodwork, being no different that religious fanatics in that regard. They'll proclaim their non-belief, even if some reader responds to a story about kittens by saying, "God, they are CUTE!" Being terribly insecure, they will seize any platform from which to let all know that they are "enlightened", "rational", and "sensible", while sneering at or pitying those poor, benighted fools who believe in "God" or "something" that can't be measured, quantified, or explained to their satisfaction. They and they alone hold the key to world happiness, and the cessation of sundry ills that have plagued human kind for centuries, non-religious and anti-religious political and social movements not withstanding. I respect several atheists that I know, but wish a pox on those who are self righteous, and on religious fanatics as well. They serve no one but themselves.
light the bonfire and dance naked around it
yippie
Who really built Stone Henge? - They used gravity devices - cantfigureitout . com
May I raise a practical question at this point - are we still gonna do Stonehenge tomorrow?
No! We're not gonna f'n do Stonehenge!!
made my day =)
The problem is that we had a stonehenge prop in serious danger of being trample by a dwarf
I'm sure there were intelligent life at Stonehenge but I can see that there isn't any here.
This is casually interesting, but the diagram has nothing to do with the story.
They were probably reflecting pools.
Those pits were used to stored their yearly cultivation of weed. Weed needed for long periods of religious ceremonies. Hence, "getting stoned" ... AWSOME DUDE!!!
Nah. When you get stoned, you aren't "henged", you're Unhenged.
Finally! Some posts that make sense and are actually about Stonehenge instead of comparisons of archiological finds, batteries in Iraq, and ancient poop. lol
BTW, I visited Stonehenge and encourage everyone who can to go see it. It is pretty remarkable. I think it's pretty weird that no one knows for sure what it's for and who made it. I admit I don't know much about the subject, but I know something like that would take many, many years and many, many men to build. A generation perhaps. And there's no record of anything about it? Without or without a written language, I bet a few diagrams were needed! It's quite intriguing.
At least now I know where the phrase "getting stoned" came from!
According to a no expense spared SyFy channel movie, Stonehenge is a gigantic machine that aliens made to help create life on earth a gazillion years ago. It's built on an energy line that connects with Mayan pyramids, Egyptian pyramids, Chartres Cathedral, and parts of New Jersey, which explains a lot if you live in new York. It has a remote control called the Antikythera Mechanism which is kept in a building in NYC that can easily be broken into, and this device can be aimed at Stonehenge to prevent it from terra-forming the earth, if it self activates by mistake. I love science, yes I do.
Q: Do you know what the "Fy" part of 'SyFy' stands for?
A: Fiction.
You love science, yet you quote fiction. LOL
KNOW THE LINE, my friend.
You obviously don't know sarcasm when you read it. My reference to "parts of New Jersey" and "New Yorkers" wasn't obvious enough for you? Honestly, that you or anyone would think my comment to be serious is hysterical! LOL!! Yes, I know what "fiction" is. Good grief.
If Hans referenced Captain Kirk had Mr. Spock design them after they were stuck in the past so they could slingshot back to their present then we would know it was fact!! :-O
That was my first choice but I wanted my comment to be tongue in cheek, not dry,scientific, or believable. (wink, wink)
I saw that movie over the weekend too. It wasn't supposed to be NJ, it was supposed to be Maine. Silly. You're supposed to believe what the fictional character says! Even if he does play an angel who is supposed to be trying to be the new god on a tv show called "Supernatural". *snicker* Ah, the fodder for jokes is endless here... thanks Hans!
The pits were just somewhere to put trash after live concerts....
LoL
It makes you wonder what a future archeologist in 1000000 CE will think of our garbage dumps.
The remains of a culture before the civilization of the bipeds.
Trash for the occupy stonehenge movement, maybe
yes, yes, yes... all those cultures are interesting. However, if we don't change our ways we will dug up sometime inthe future as well, hey... they had these interesting things people must have got information from the stars or some stuff that flatters us somehow... not.
stonehenge is a FRAUDE!it never ever was as if the modern pictures try to make you believe it!all stoned have bene placed,erected and put on each other by MODERN people.same thing in egypt and peru were so called scientists RECONSTRUCTED the sites.oh and by the way if there is kinda extraordinnairy ancient hard core proof like in Axum ethiopia nobody dares to check it out due to fear of endangering that old fool who claims he guards and owns it in the name of a @!$%#ing god.
1)on this planet is not ONE single proof of extra terrestial life nor any gods.2)all religions bull@!$%# are purely humane invented ways of vicious manipulating the brains of people just for the benefit of self declared idiots need for power,land and money.3)no matter how old the civilisations were they all had the same principal target:land,money and sex.4)to understand the old history one have to see and think like during that old ancient timewindow.
Comment # 27 deleted, huge derail.
Google Gulf of Cambay (India)