Archaeologists have discovered a secret sister monument to Stonehenge that might have served as a ‘prototype’ for the famous stones.

This ancient site is just three miles away from Stonehenge itself, located in the village of Bulford, Wiltshire.

Consisting of two wooden poles placed 400 feet (120 metres) apart, this long–lost monument might appear rather basic at first glance.

However, scientists say the poles would have formed a perfect line pointing to the rising sun during the summer solstice and the setting sun on the winter solstice.

In fact, reconstructions of the ancient sky and landscape show that the deceptively simple structure was built to align with the solstice within one degree of accuracy.

More impressively, archaeologists have dated this structure back to around 5,000 years ago.

That predates the monument we see at Stonehenge by 500 years, making this one of the very oldest examples of a structure built to align with the sun in the British Isles.

Dr Fabio Silva, an archaeologist from Stone x Sky and the Skyscape Academy, says: ‘Rather than marking the beginning of a story, Stonehenge now more clearly appears to have emerged from traditions and practices with much deeper roots in this landscape.’

Archaeologists have discovered a secret sister monument to Stonehenge that might have served as a ‘prototype’ for the famous stones (artist’s impression)

Since any wood has long since rotted away, almost nothing is left of the Bulford ritual site today besides the pits where the poles once stood.

However, these scant clues are already giving archaeologists a fascinating glimpse into Britain’s ancient past.

The site of the Bulford poles was first uncovered in 2015, when archaeologists found a network of 48 pits dated to around 2950 BC.

Excavations found that these pits were filled with the remains of pottery, animal bones, flint tools, and charcoal.

It was clear that large numbers of people gathered in this area over a relatively short period of time, but archaeologists weren’t sure what they were gathering for.

Now, the alignment of the poles suggests that people likely gathered by this simple monument to celebrate the solstices before more complex, permanent structures could be built.

While Stonehenge and the Bulford site have different layouts, this shows that the ‘technology’ of tracing the sun’s alignment on the horizon existed long before the more famous structure was built.

In fact, the researchers suggest that Bulford and Stonehenge might have had an even closer connection.

The site, located in Bulford, Wiltshire, consisted of two wooden poles (illustrated in red) that were placed to align with the sun on the summer and winter solstices 

Archaeologist Phil Harding (pictured) says that this earlier site would have served as a ‘prototype’ for Stonehenge, using the same ancient technology of tracking the sun’s alignment 

Phil Harding, Archaeologist at Wessex Archaeology and former host of Time Team, told the Daily Mail that some of the people who built Bulford might have been buried in the ‘Aubrey Holes’ at Stonehenge, where cremated remains have been found.

He said: ‘Even if the people who visited Bulford are not buried at Stonehenge, there is every possibility that the people who visited Bulford may have also visited Stonehenge, and may even have been involved in the construction of Stonehenge.’

The pits at Bulford date back to almost the exact same period that the first simple earthworks were being put up at the site of Stonehenge.

Mr Harding even suggests that a similar pole structure might have been part of the earliest phases of Stonehenge, but later developments would have erased any trace of the pits.

‘These people lived in a world that was controlled by the heavens, by climate, by natural circumstances,’ he says.

‘They cared about their world and the natural processes of the sun… this [the solstice] must have been such a major event in their lifetimes.’

This discovery also helps to solve the mystery of an extremely rare disc–shaped knife found in one of the pits.

Mr Harding found this round knife buried vertically in a pit located almost exactly on the line of the solstice.

Archaeologists found an ‘exquisite’ circular stone knife (pictured) in line with the poles, which could have been buried as a symbolic representation of the disc of the sun 

‘It’s an absolutely exquisite object,’ Mr Harding says.

‘That is a difficult craft to exercise to that level of perfection. It’s almost inconceivable that you would just throw it away.’

Now, Mr Harding says the disc could have been a symbolic reference to the disk of the sun, deliberately placed in a sort of ‘viewing station’ for the solstice.

Archaeologists still debate exactly what Stonehenge and similar sites, like the Bulford poles, would have been used for.

However, their alignment with the solstice is a strong indication that they had a spiritual or religious function besides simple timekeeping.

Dr Matt Leivers, Senior Research Manager at Wessex Archaeology, says: ‘When we talk about the solstice, we’re talking about religion. About how prehistoric peoples understood the cosmos, the world, and their place in it.

‘What we see at Bulford, and later at Stonehenge, is a way of celebrating and marking the passage of time, but it’s also about making sure the world keeps working as it should.’ 

‘It’s likely their way of saying to their deities, please keep us in mind, keep us warm and safe. It’s a religious event. That’s why it’s so important’

The Stonehenge monument standing today was the final stage of a four part building project that ended 3,500 years ago

Stonehenge is one of the most prominent prehistoric monuments in Britain. The Stonehenge that can be seen today is the final stage that was completed about 3,500 years ago. 

According to the monument’s website, Stonehenge was built in four stages:   

First stage: The first version of Stonehenge was a large earthwork or Henge, comprising a ditch, bank and the Aubrey holes, all probably built around 3100 BC. 

The Aubrey  holes are round pits in the chalk, about one metre (3.3 feet) wide and deep, with steep sides and flat bottoms. 

Stonehenge (pictured) is one of the most prominent prehistoric monuments in Britain

They form a circle about 86.6 metres (284 feet) in diameter. 

Excavations revealed cremated human bones in some of the chalk filling, but the holes themselves were likely not made to be used as graves, but as part of a religious ceremony.

After this first stage, Stonehenge was abandoned and left untouched for more than 1,000 years. 

Second stage: The second and most dramatic stage of Stonehenge started around 2150 years BC, when about 82 bluestones from the Preseli mountains in south-west Wales were transported to the site. It’s thought that the stones, some of which weigh four tonnes each, were dragged on rollers and sledges to the waters at Milford Haven, where they were loaded onto rafts.

They were carried on water along the south coast of Wales and up the rivers Avon and Frome, before being dragged overland again near Warminster and Wiltshire.

The final stage of the journey was mainly by water, down the river Wylye to Salisbury, then the Salisbury Avon to west Amesbury. 

The journey spanned nearly 240 miles, and once at the site, the stones were set up in the centre to form an incomplete double circle. 

During the same period, the original entrance was widened and a pair of Heel Stones were erected. The nearer part of the Avenue, connecting Stonehenge with the River Avon, was built aligned with the midsummer sunrise. 

Third stage: The third stage of Stonehenge, which took place about 2000 years BC, saw the arrival of the sarsen stones (a type of sandstone), which were larger than the bluestones.

They were likely brought from the Marlborough Downs (40 kilometres, or 25 miles, north of Stonehenge). 

The largest of the sarsen stones transported to Stonehenge weighs 50 tonnes, and transportation by water would not have been possible, so it’s suspected that they were transported using sledges and ropes. 

Calculations have shown that it would have taken 500 men using leather ropes to pull one stone, with an extra 100 men needed to lay the rollers in front of the sledge.

These stones were arranged in an outer circle with a continuous run of lintels – horizontal supports. 

Inside the circle, five trilithons – structures consisting of two upright stones and a third across the top as a lintel – were placed in a horseshoe arrangement, which can still be seen today. 

Final stage: The fourth and final stage took place just after 1500 years BC, when the smaller bluestones were rearranged in the horseshoe and circle that can be seen today.

The original number of stones in the bluestone circle was probably around 60, but these have since been removed or broken up. Some remain as stumps below ground level. 

Source: Stonehenge.co.uk