Discovery of an Earlier Stonehenge Version
Archaeologists believe they have uncovered an earlier, much simpler version of Stonehenge approximately 3 miles (5km) from the renowned prehistoric monument.
Only two holes remain at the site, but experts suggest these once 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.
The site has been dated to around 5,000 years ago, predating Stonehenge by roughly 500 years.
Artefacts discovered at the location, including pottery, flint tools, and animal bones, indicate that prehistoric communities gathered there.
Phil Harding, from Wessex Archaeology, who led the excavation, said it was one of the best finds of his long career.
"Two post pits tell me [much] more about the people 5,000 years ago," he said.
"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."
Solar Alignments at Stonehenge and Bulford
The massive stones at Stonehenge are precisely positioned to align with the Sun. Standing in the middle of the circle at sunrise on the summer solstice, observers see the Sun rise over the heel stone to the northeast. At midwinter, from the circle’s center, the Sun sets over an altar stone to the southwest.
The newly discovered structure in the village of Bulford was far simpler, consisting of just two wooden posts, which have since decayed.
These posts were spaced 120m (394ft) apart and are estimated to have been between 2m and 4m tall.
When Harding uncovered the holes, he noticed their alignment with the Sun, similar to Stonehenge nearby.
"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," he said.
Initial Discovery and Celestial Analysis
The traces of this earlier structure were first found a decade ago in Bulford during ground clearance for new army housing. However, only recently has a detailed analysis of the alignment been conducted, involving reconstructing the ancient sky.
"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," said Dr Fabio Silva, an archaeoastronomer from Bournemouth University and the Skyscape Academy.
"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."
Artefacts and Dating
Besides the post holes, dozens of other holes containing artefacts were found surrounding the site. These items have helped establish the site's age using radiocarbon dating, which measures changes in a special form of carbon over time, confirming the structure is about 5,000 years old.
Artefacts included an antler likely used for digging, carved animal bones, and finely decorated pottery fragments.
Flint tools were also uncovered, notably a rare Neolithic knife shaped into a disc (discoidal).
"It was, I think, our star find," said Harding of Wessex Archaeology.
"What is so special about it is the workmanship that's gone into it. That is the work of real craftsmanship."
Harding noted the knife was found upright, suggesting it may have been deliberately placed, possibly holding symbolic meaning.
"Maybe that discoidal shape is some sort of reference to the Sun, who knows?," he said.
Context and Significance
The Bulford monument dates to the same period as the earliest phase of Stonehenge, when the first earthworks were constructed about 500 years before the stones were erected.
"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," said Dr Jennifer Wexler, curator of history at English Heritage.
Wexler explained the prehistoric people's fascination with the Sun:
"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," explained Wexler.
Today, the summer solstice at Stonehenge attracts thousands who come to witness the sunrise. However, Wexler notes that 5,000 years ago, the winter solstice—the shortest day of the year—was likely more significant for ancient communities.
"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."
