'Sister' Stonehenge Discovered

Finding indicates far vaster religious complex
By Mary Papenfuss,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 22, 2010 2:21 AM CDT
Updated Jul 22, 2010 7:45 AM CDT
'Sister' Stonehenge Discovered
Sun shoots through Stonehenge.   (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

Rejoice, druids everywhere. An underground wooden Stonehenge "sister" has been discovered less than a mile north of the famous structure, convincing researchers that the site was a far grander prehistoric religious complex than previously envisioned. Scientists using sophisticated ground-penetrating X-ray machines have found what appears to have been a circle of 24 massive timber obelisks, constructed some 4,500 years ago. The monument, likely a Neolithic temple, mirrors a similar construction on the other side of Stonehenge. All three monuments are roughly aligned.

"The discovery will significantly change the way we think about the landscape around Stonehenge," Prof. Vince Gaffney of Birmingham University told the Independent. "Some 90% of the Stonehenge landscape is still terra incognita. Our survey will hopefully begin to remedy our current lack of knowledge." (More Stonehenge stories.)

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