Researchers in the UK discovered that Stonehenge has an older “sister” in Dorchester.
First discovered in the 1980s, Flagstones is a circular monument resembling a running track that might have even inspired Stonehenge.
Archaeologists from the University of Exeter and Historic England didn’t expect the mysterious enclosure to predate the legendary monolith.
However, as stated in a study in Antiquity, the results of analyses placed the Stone Age site two hundred years earlier than they had expected.
Older than Stonehenge and just as mysterious
Road construction on the Dorchester bypass in the 1980s revealed a 328.08-foot diameter circular ditch of intersecting pits beneath the ground, according to the University of Exeter News.
Researchers carbon-dated fragments of red deer antler (pictured) and human remains at the site to reveal its true date.
This shows that the Flagstones monument predates Stonehenge by several centuries
Though most of the monument remains covered underneath a new bypass and even Thomas Hardy’s former home, historical artifacts and excavation archives were sent to Dorset Museum for safekeeping and preservation.
Four people were buried in the enclosure pits: a cremated adult and three un-cremated children. Additionally, three partial cremations of adults were also found.
Archaeologists observed a striking similarity between Flagstones and Stonehenge. They believed the two were built around the same time because the original plan for the world’s most intriguing monument matched the design of Flagstones.
