Evidence of two previously unknown prehistoric stone circles has been uncovered in southern England—with one site seemingly displaying similarities to the early phase of the iconic Stonehenge.
Remains of the monuments—likely dated to the Neolithic period, or New Stone Age—came to light during fieldwork near Taw Marsh in Dartmoor National Park in the county of Devon, South West England.
"I can finally reveal some major discoveries that I have made during the course of my Ph.D. fieldwork," said Alan Endacott, self-funded Ph.D. researcher with the University of Exeter's Department of Archaeology and leader of the investigations, in a Facebook post.
"The findings are significant in the national context of our understanding of the development and purpose of stone circles, and very significant in terms of our understanding of Dartmoor's prehistory and environmental change," Endacott told Newsweek.
He had first identified sites of potential interest in the area in 2011 while investigating his hypothesis that a ring of stone circles dots the landscape in the northern half of the national park. This search had previously led him to find the Sittaford stone circle, around five miles to the south, in 2007.
"Following several years of field survey work and targeted geophysical surveys, I recently had the privilege of excavating some of the sites, with the help of a team of volunteers, and uncovered a number of features hinted at by surface remains or geophysical anomalies," Endacott said in the Facebook post.
One of the sites the team excavated revealed evidence of a stone circle at the foot of a hill, which appears to form part of the "ring" of monuments. Dubbed the Metheral stone circle, the structure consists of about 20 surviving stones, mostly fallen, to the south and west and a similar number buried on the higher eastern side, which Endacott had detected via probing investigations a few years ago.
The structure is not a "true" circle because the southern perimeter is flattened, according to Endacott. It measures around 131 feet west to east and 108 feet north to south.
One excavation trench across the perimeter of the circle uncovered an external bank, which might represent a concentric feature.
"If it is indeed directly associated with the stone circle, although not necessarily contemporary, it is suggestive of a Neolithic henge monument of a similar form to the Stripple Stones on Bodmin Moor, the Ring of Brodger on Orkney, Avebury or even the earlier phase of Stonehenge, which would be an amazing discovery in itself," Endacott said.
The early phase of Stonehenge dates to around 3000 B.C., during the late Neolithic period, when the first earthworks and circular ditch were constructed at the world- famous site in the county of Wiltshire, South West England. Several changes and additions were made to the structure over the next two millennia.
While the Metheral stone circle appears to form part of the ring of such monuments on Dartmoor, the remains of the other stone circle that Endacott and his team uncovered sit around 0.6 miles to the north of its edge.
This structure occupies a prominent position, overlooking the valley of Taw Marsh to the south, and the substantial hills surrounding it.
"[These structures] help to build a picture of monumentalization in the later Neolithic in western Britain and how the cosmos was viewed, as well as their perception of the natural landscape and the sacred places of former generations," Endacott told Newsweek.
More than 1,000 surviving prehistoric stone circles are known in Great Britain and Ireland. While the original purpose of these structures remains unclear, they are thought to have been used for ceremonial, ritual or astronomical purposes.
The recent investigations in Dartmoor also uncovered other structures of interest such as a collapsed dolmen, a type of single-chamber prehistoric tomb constructed using large stones.
"All-in-all, it was an amazing few weeks. It was hard work and involved a huge amount of planning and preparation, but it was well worth the effort! A massive 'thank you' to everyone who has been involved, or helped in any way," Endacott added in the Facebook post.
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