Stonehenge is great for a visit, but what the heck was the stone circle used for? It's a question that has dogged archaeologists for a long time. But now, they may have come closer to unraveling its mystery.
A team of researchers have discovered a major prehistoric village near the main Stonehenge site. The archaeologists believe the village may have been home to the people who built the stone monument, as well as being an important ceremonial site in its own right.
Eight houses have been excavated so far by the Stonehenge Riverside Project, a joint initiative run by six English universities. There may be up to 30 other houses at the site known as Durrington Wells, about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from Stonehenge. Mike Parker Pearson, the project leader, told a press conference on Tuesday that his team had discovered the remains of stone tools, animal bones, arrowheads and other artifacts and there are indications from outlines in the earth that there were fireplaces and furniture in the houses.
The village has been carbon dated to around 2600 B.C. -- roughly the same time as Stonehenge was built. "Stonehenge isn’t a monument in isolation," Parker Pearson said. "It is actually one of a pair -- one in stone, one in timber."
The archaelogists think that Stonehenge and Durrington Walls were complementary sites, connected by the Avon River. The wooden settlement was probably where people gathered for festivals and parties, while Stonehenge was a cemetery or memorial. Previous archaeological digs have already shown that no one ever lived at Stonehenge, but up to 250 cremation remains have been found there.
Julian Thomas of Manchester University who took part in the project said: "This is a place of enormous importance...."
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