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Young World
Not alone
COMPILED BY
ROHINI RAMAKRISHNAN
Recent excavations of Salisbury Plain in southern England have revealed at least two other large stone formations near Stonehenge. One of the megalithic finds is a sandstone formation that marked a ritual burial mound; the other, a group of stones at the site of an ancient timber circle. The new discoveries suggest that many similar monuments may have been erected in the shadow of Stonehenge, possibly forming part of a much larger complex, experts say. A team led by Colin Richards of Manchester University and Joshua Pollard of Bristol University found the hole that originally held the stone, dug between 2500 and 2000 B.C., as well as human remains and artefacts that date to the same period. The partially cremated remains of two people were buried next to the stone, Pollard said. Stone knives and arrowheads, a piece of limestone carved into the shape of a megalith, two pottery bowls, and a rare rock crystal were also unearthed near the burial site. The rock crystal find is the earliest known example from Britain and possibly came from as far away as the Alps, Pollard said.
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