Archaeologists working on the Orkney Islands, one of the northernmost regions of Scotland, have uncovered a stone-age complex that they believe to be a precursor to Stonehenge.
The ritual center called the “Ness of Brodgar” predates Stonehenge by at least a few centuries (early radiocarbon dating suggests that it was first occupied by 3200 BCE). The site hosted several stone age rituals that appear similar to those hosted in Salisbury more than 500 years later.
To learn more about this discovery, see the article in National Geographic or the Orkney Jar Dig Diary.
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Jim Wheeler
January 28, 2012 at 8:31 am
Conspiracy programs often find sinister or provocative meaning in evidence that ancient people were aware of how consistent and precise are the movements of heavenly bodies. Astronomical alignments have been found in Stonehenge, the pyramids and I believe in Central and South American structures. Some like to speculate that it is evidence of alien visitors from other planets, but I don’t find it surprising at all. Once humans had discovered agriculture and animal husbandry they were introduced to leisure. Developmentally, their brains were equal to ours. Seems only natural to me that they, now having the time, would notice and speculate on things like the regularity and predictability of the seasons, the sun, moon and stars. Sitting here at my desk even, I am aware of the changing angle of the sun through my window as the days begin to lengthen towards spring.
Is leisure a boon or a curse? Both, obviously, and it is ours to make of it what we will.
Jennifer Lockett
January 28, 2012 at 9:25 am
Human beings have always been creative and innovative. I don’t know why people can’t see that!