Archaeologists find secret square among world-famous stone circles

[Judi Lynn]

- click for image -



AVEBURY, UNITED KINGDOM – FEBRUARY 07: The Neolithic stones at Avebury are seen on February 7, 2013 in Wiltshire, England. Photo credit: Matt Cardy/Getty Images

Sally Guyoncourt 2 hours Thursday June 29th 2017

Archaeologists have unearthed a secret square beneath one of the world’s most famous neolithic stone circles.

by a group of researchers at the Avebury stone circle in Wiltshire has found evidence of a whole new set of megaliths, this time taking the shape of a quadrangle.

Dr Mark Gillings, Academic Director in Archaeology at the University of Leicester, said: “Our research has revealed previously unknown megaliths inside the world-famous Avebury stone circle.

Secret square “We have detected and mapped a series of prehistoric standing stones that were subsequently hidden and buried, along with the positions of others likely destroyed during the 17th and 18th centuries.

Read more at: https://inews.co.uk/essentials/news/uk/archaeologists-find-secret-square-among-world-famous-stone-circles/

[customerserviceguy]

1. Was it Paul Lynde?

/revision/latest?cb=20140115020616

[whistler162]

5. Nope Charley Weaver

[brush]

14. Why say that? The name is right there.

[cate94]

13. .

[Thor_MN]

2. Was it Paul Lynde?

On edit, here I thought I was being clever and spent a couple minutes googling "secret square", only to come in second with the exact same post, minus photo...

[MADem]

6. Same here. Too many of us showing our age... nt

[customerserviceguy]

9. Great minds, thinking alike!

[Historic NY]

3. I've been there, its really odd in the early morning to wander around.

[Javaman]

4. And circle gets the square! nt

[BigmanPigman]

7. I wish they provided visuals of the info they've gathered.

[Jim__]

10. Heres a computer generated image of the circle and square

You can enlarge the image here

[BigmanPigman]

11. Very cool. Thanks!

[FailureToCommunicate]

8. Unlike Stonehenge, Avebury Circle encompasses an entire town. It wouldn't really

be surprising if they found LOTs of odd stuff within the massive circle. Maybe even Paul Lynde?

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[Judi Lynn]

12. Secret Square Discovered Beneath Neolithic Stone Monument

By Tia Ghose, Senior Writer | June 30, 2017 11:42am ET


Hidden beneath the world's largest prehistoric stone circle, archaeologists in England have discovered an even older, secret square-shaped megalithic monument.

"Our research has revealed previously unknown megaliths inside the world-famous Avebury stone circle. We have detected and mapped a series of prehistoric standing stones that were subsequently hidden and buried, along with the positions of others likely destroyed during the 17th and 18th centuries," Mark Gillings, academic director and reader in archaeology in the School of Archaeology and Ancient History at the University of Leicester, said in a statement. "Together, these reveal a striking and apparently unique square megalithic monument within the Avebury circles that has the potential to be one of the very earliest structures on this remarkable site."

The new finds are shocking for such an old site, which has been extensively studied by archaeologists since the 1600s. The Avebury site in Wiltshire, southwest England, is one of the most mysterious ancient monuments in the country. The Neolithic monument was built largely between 4,850 and 4,200 years ago, according to English Heritage. Along with Stonehenge, Silbury Hill and Windmill Hill, the newfound monuments may have formed a vast sacred landscape that ancient people used for rituals and communal gatherings whose purpose remains shrouded in mystery.

The site of Avebury consists of a vast circular henge — of which all that remains is a 3,270-foot-across (1,000 meters) circular ditch and embankments — and an inner stone circle, which was once composed of nearly 100 massive, upright boulders and two smaller inner stone circles.

More:
https://www.livescience.com/59668-avebury-circle-once-a-square.html?utm_source=notification