Ancient Wooden Structure Aligned with Solstices Found Near Stonehenge

Archaeologists discovered a 5,000-year-old wooden post structure near Stonehenge aligned with solstices, predating the monument by 500 years and revealing insights into prehistoric solar reverence.

Discovery of an Earlier Stonehenge Version

Archaeologists have identified an earlier, simpler structure approximately 3 miles (5 km) from the well-known prehistoric monument of Stonehenge. Unlike the massive stones of Stonehenge, this older site consists only of two post holes believed to have held wooden posts aligned with the Sun during the summer and winter solstices—the longest and shortest days of the year—mirroring the solar alignments of Stonehenge itself.

Archaeologist Phil Harding, who used to appear on 's — Image caption, Phil Harding says discovering the structure has been a career high

The site has been dated to around 5,000 years ago, making it approximately 500 years older than Stonehenge. Alongside the post holes, artefacts such as pottery, flint tools, and animal bones were discovered, indicating that prehistoric communities gathered at this location.

"Two post pits tell me more about the people 5,000 years ago," said Phil Harding from Wessex Archaeology, who led the excavation. "This tells me about the whole community, this tells me about how they were thinking, how they were behaving, how they were revering the heavens."

Harding described the discovery as one of the highlights of his extensive career.

Solar Alignments of Stonehenge and the Bulford Site

The massive stones at Stonehenge are precisely positioned to align with solar events. Standing in the center of Stonehenge at sunrise on the summer solstice, observers see the Sun rise over the Heel Stone to the northeast. Conversely, at midwinter sunset, the Sun sets over an altar stone to the southwest.

A graphic visual sketch showing how Stonehenge (in the top) and the structure at Bulford (bottom) line up with the summer solstice sunrise and winter solstice sunset. Orange arrows point to the right on both structures showing where the sunrise would be seen from and purple arrows pointing left showing where the sunset would be seen. The caption on the Stonehenge image reads

The newly discovered structure, located in the village of Bulford, was a far simpler construction consisting of two wooden posts, now decayed. These posts were positioned approximately 120 meters (394 feet) apart and estimated to have been between 2 and 4 meters high.

Upon uncovering the post holes, Harding noted their alignment appeared to correspond with the Sun’s position during solstices, similar to Stonehenge.

"I got my pencil and ruler, and I joined them up, and I was aware that they were kind of pointing in the general direction of the sunrise on midsummer," Harding explained.

Artefacts and Dating of the Site

Numerous artefacts were recovered from the site, including a distinctive rounded flint knife, pottery fragments, carved animal bones, and an antler tool likely used for digging.

A rounded piece of flint that has been carefully worked to create a knife. It is white, with some brown and grey marks, and is set against a black background. The areas where pieces of the flint have been struck off using another stone are clearly visible. It is not a perfect circle but its sides are rounded. — Image caption, A number of artefacts were found at the site, including this rounded flint knife

A small piece of bone that has been carved to a sharp point at one end. It may have been used to make holes when working leather. The pointed end is on the left and the wider end on the right. It is white and light brown and is set against a black background. There is a slight groove running about half way along its length from the wider end. — Image caption, Dating of items like this carved bone show the site is 5,000 years old

A fragment of a pot in the middle of the picture set against a black background. It was originally light brown in colour but has become blackened. At the rim there is a row of indentations running around the pot as decoration. Below that, going down towards what would have been the base, there are two rows of further indentations. They have been made to look like rope and meet at a narrower point marked with a vertical line. The rope pattern is repeated lower down. — Image caption, Fine pottery found at Bulford suggests people were coming there to feast

Radiocarbon dating of these items established the site’s age at approximately 5,000 years. The flint knife, described by Harding as a "star find," is notable for its craftsmanship and unusual discoidal shape. It was found upright in the ground, suggesting possible symbolic significance.

"What is so special about it is the workmanship that's gone into it. That is the work of real craftsmanship," Harding said. "Maybe that discoidal shape is some sort of reference to the Sun, who knows?"

Context and Significance of the Bulford Site

The post holes, each about half a meter wide and separated by 120 meters (400 feet), were discovered a decade ago during ground clearance for new army housing in Bulford. However, detailed analysis of their celestial alignment has only recently been conducted.

The hole in the ground shows a light rock with a hole in shadow dug into it. At the bottom is a red and white measuring pole, with three blocks of white and two blocks of red visible in between. It's difficult to see how deep it is but at the bottom there is an artefact protruding at the bottom on the left hand side of the hole. It is in the shadowed area and is something that looks light brown in colour and slightly curved. — Image caption, Each hole was about half a metre wide and the two were separated by 120m (400ft)

Dr. Fabio Silva, an archaeoastronomer from Bournemouth University and the Skyscape Academy, explained the process of reconstructing the sky as it appeared 5,000 years ago to verify the alignment.

"The sky - the positions of the Sun, Moon, planets and stars - they change very slowly throughout the centuries. We don't really notice it during our lifetimes," Silva said. "So we basically need to reconstruct the sky, what it looked like exactly 5,000 years ago, where the Sun was rising and what time it was rising in those places. If you take into account the width of the posts… then the alignment is exactly, exactly right. It's accurately aligned to summer solstice sunrise and winter solstice sunset."

Surrounding the post holes were dozens of other pits containing artefacts from the prehistoric inhabitants of Bulford, which contributed to establishing the site's age through radiocarbon dating.

Relation to Stonehenge and Cultural Insights

The Bulford monument dates to the same period as the earliest phase of Stonehenge, when the initial earthworks were constructed roughly 500 years before the iconic stones were erected.

Dr. Jennifer Wexler, curator of history at English Heritage, suggested a connection between the two sites.

"The discovery of Bulford actually suggests that maybe the people who built the first stages of Stonehenge were based or living there, or at least gathering seasonally to do the construction work at Stonehenge," Wexler said.

Wexler also discussed the significance of solar events for these prehistoric communities.

"The people who built Stonehenge and the people who were at Bulford were early farmers, and their livelihoods really were connected to the seasons and the Sun doing its job," she explained.

Today, the summer solstice at Stonehenge attracts thousands of visitors who come to witness the sunrise. However, Wexler noted that 5,000 years ago, the winter solstice—the shortest day of the year—may have held greater importance.

"Winter might have been particularly important because it's a time of year when the light is literally dying, and maybe you need to do something to evoke that return or mark it, because then it's a return of the spring, when hopefully your crops and your animals will thrive."