Emerging
Jun 17, 2026 Major2
89%
Archaeologists Find Older, Simpler Stonehenge-Like Monument Near Original Site
Archaeologists have uncovered a 5,000-year-old Stonehenge-like structure in Bulford, about 3 miles from the monument, that appears to have been aligned with the solstices. The site, which predates Stonehenge by roughly 500 years, also yielded artefacts suggesting prehistoric community activity.
Quick Facts
Who
Phil Harding
What
discovered an earlier, simpler Stonehenge-like structure
When
about 5,000 years ago
Where
Bulford
- discovered an earlier, simpler Stonehenge-like structure
- dated the site using radiocarbon analysis
- identified solstice alignment of the post holes
- found artefacts including pottery, flint tools, animal bone and carved bones
- Phil Harding
Archaeologists have identified what they believe is a simpler, earlier version of Stonehenge near the famous monument in Wiltshire, England. The remains, found in Bulford about 3 miles away, consist of two post holes that once held wooden posts rather than the massive stones seen at Stonehenge today.
Researchers dated the site to about 5,000 years ago, around 500 years before Stonehenge's earliest known phase. The team says the posts appear to have been aligned with the Sun at the summer and winter solstices, suggesting the structure may also have had an astronomical or ceremonial purpose.
The excavation also uncovered pottery, flint tools, carved animal bones and an antler that may have been used for digging. Archaeologists say these finds point to prehistoric gatherings at the site and offer clues about the people who used it.
Phil Harding of Wessex Archaeology, who led the excavation, called it one of the best discoveries of his career. Dr Fabio Silva, an archaeoastronomer at Bournemouth University and the Skyscape Academy, said the alignment was "exactly, exactly right" when reconstructed for the sky as it would have appeared 5,000 years ago.
Why This Matters
This discovery reshapes the timeline of prehistoric ritual construction in Britain, suggesting that simpler wooden structures—not just megaliths—marked seasonal alignments and community gatherings. For readers, it deepens understanding of how Neolithic people organized their world, and may prompt new archaeological surveys in the region.
Timeline & Sources
Jun 17, 2026
WireBBC reported the discovery and the detailed analysis of the site.