Researchers have identified what they believe to be an earlier and considerably less elaborate predecessor to Stonehenge approximately 3 miles from the well-known prehistoric site. The discovery, located in the village of Bulford, consists of two post holes that once held wooden structures positioned roughly 120 meters apart and estimated between 2 and 4 meters in height.
The wooden posts were aligned with solar events in a manner similar to Stonehenge’s famous stone alignments. Archaeoastronomical analysis revealed that the posts marked the positions of sunrise on the summer solstice and sunset on the winter solstice. Radiocarbon dating indicates the site is approximately 5,000 years old, placing it about 500 years before Stonehenge was constructed.
The excavation, led by Phil Harding of Wessex Archaeology, yielded numerous artifacts suggesting the location served as a gathering place for prehistoric communities. Recovered items included decorated pottery fragments, flint tools, carved animal bones, and an antler tool. Among the notable finds was a rare Neolithic flint knife with a disc-shaped form that appeared to have been deliberately positioned, possibly with symbolic significance.
Experts suggest the Bulford site may provide insights into the origins of Stonehenge itself. Dr. Jennifer Wexler from English Heritage noted that the people who constructed the earliest phases of Stonehenge may have been based at or regularly gathered in the Bulford area. The alignment of both structures with solar events reflects the dependence of early farming communities on seasonal cycles for their survival and prosperity.
The site was originally discovered over a decade ago during ground clearance for military housing construction, but detailed celestial analysis was only recently completed to confirm the precise solar alignments of the ancient posts.
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