Archaeologists have discovered a monument near Stonehenge that may have served as a prototype for the famous stone circle. The newly identified site, located just three miles away in Bulford, Wiltshire, consists of two wooden poles that aligned with the rising sun during the summer solstice and the setting sun on the winter solstice.
This ancient structure has been dated to approximately 5,000 years ago, predating the earliest construction phases of Stonehenge by about 500 years. This makes the Bulford site one of the oldest known structures in the British Isles built to align with solar events. Scientists have determined that the simple wooden pole structure was built to align with the solstices within one degree of accuracy.
"Rather than marking the beginning of a story, Stonehenge now more clearly appears to have emerged from traditions and practices with much deeper roots in this landscape," said Dr. Fabio Silva, an archaeologist from Stone x Sky and the Skyscape Academy.
The Bulford site today is marked only by the pits where the wooden poles once stood, as the wood has long since decayed. The site was initially uncovered in 2015, revealing a network of 48 pits dating to around 2950 BC. Excavations within these pits yielded pottery, animal bones, flint tools, and charcoal, indicating that large gatherings took place there over a short period.
Archaeologists suggest that people likely gathered at this basic monument to celebrate the solstices before more complex, permanent structures like Stonehenge were built. While the layouts of the Bulford and Stonehenge sites differ, the discovery demonstrates that the practice of tracing solar alignments existed long before Stonehenge was constructed. Researchers also propose a potential connection between the two sites.
Phil Harding, an archaeologist at Wessex Archaeology, suggested that some individuals who utilized the Bulford monument might have been buried in the "Aubrey Holes" at Stonehenge, where cremated remains have been found. He also noted the possibility that people who visited Bulford may have also visited or even been involved in the construction of Stonehenge, as the pits at Bulford date to the same period as the earliest earthworks at Stonehenge.
"These people lived in a world that was controlled by the heavens, by climate, by natural circumstances," Harding stated. "They cared about their world and the natural processes of the sun... this [the solstice] must have been such a major event in their lifetimes."
The discovery also sheds light on a rare disc-shaped knife found in one of the Bulford pits. Harding discovered this artifact buried vertically in a pit precisely on the solstice alignment line. He described it as an "exquisite object" and suggested it might have been a symbolic representation of the sun, deliberately placed as part of the solstice observation.
While the exact purpose of Stonehenge and similar sites like the Bulford poles remains debated, their alignment with the solstices strongly suggests a spiritual or religious function beyond mere timekeeping. Dr. Matt Leivers, Senior Research Manager at Wessex Archaeology, commented that solstices were significant events related to prehistoric peoples' understanding of the cosmos and their place within it, often involving religious observances to ensure the world's continued function and to appeal to deities for well-being.
Stonehenge itself, one of Britain's most prominent prehistoric monuments, was built in four main stages. The earliest phase, around 3100 BC, involved a large earthwork and the Aubrey Holes, some of which contained cremated human remains. After a period of abandonment, the site saw the transport of bluestones from Wales around 2150 BC, followed by the arrival of massive sarsen stones from the Marlborough Downs around 2000 BC. The final stage, after 1500 BC, involved rearranging the bluestones into their current positions.