Scientists used various scientific techniques and discovered that the 5 meter deep pits were dug by humans in the Neolithic and were linked to rituals at Durrington Walls.
A vast ring of huge prehistoric pits Discovered near Stonehenge was deliberately built by Neolithic communities more than 4,400 years ago, according to new research published in the journal Internet Archeology.
Study confirms that the 16 massive shafts surrounding the Durrington Walls megalithic monument were made by humans and excavated in a short coordinated period around 2480 BC
Durrington Walls, located north of Stonehenge, is one of the largest known Neolithic enclosures in Britain, and the newly analyzed circular moat structure further extends the scale of the monument. Each pit measures up to 10 meters in diameter and 5 meters deepforming a ring more than 2 kilometers wide, making it the largest structure of its type found in the United Kingdom.
“Recent work confirms that the circle of moats surrounding Durrington Walls is unprecedented in the UK,” said Vince Gaffney, lead archaeologist at the University of Bradford. “These structures were not simply excavated and abandoned, they were part of a monumental and structured landscape which demonstrates the complexity and sophistication of Neolithic society.”
To determine the origin and age of the pits, researchers used an exceptionally comprehensive set of scientific techniques, including well drilling, sediment analysis and geochemistry, optically stimulated luminescence dating, and environmental DNA testing. According to , together, this evidence showed that the pits shared a consistent geochemical signature and were created in a short space of time, indicating a single organized construction effort.
“Synchrony could only have been achieved through dedicated and coordinated action,” noted Tim Kinnaird of the University of St Andrews. The discoveries in two arches of the pits’ positioning also confirmed that the circle functioned as a a unified architectural elementprobably being a major elaboration of the Durrington Walls ceremonial complex.
The almost perfect circular arrangement of the pits, spread over more than a square kilometer, highlights a remarkable level of planning and topographical skill. “The fact that they are arranged in a almost perfect circular pattern is truly remarkable,” said Professor Richard Bates of the University of St Andrews.
Archaeologists believe the ring of pits may have marked a sacred boundary linked to rituals at Durrington Walls, similar to the ceremonial activity known at Stonehenge, which was in use at the same time.
As the pits gradually filled with clay and silt over the centuries, the once monumental structure disappeared from view, until modern technology brought it back into the light.
