Today, Archaeology Magazine has rolled out its “Top 10 Discoveries of 2012.” The list includes (in no particular order):
2,000 Year Old Stashed Treasure
Category Archives: Neolithic
Pre-Cursor to Stonehenge Located in Northern Scotland
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.
Teenage Girl’s Grave Found Near Neolithic Henge in England
The burial of a teenage girl has been discovered by archaeologists in Kent England, near a neolithic henge site. The graves of two other women (in their 20s and 30s) were also located near the site. Archaeologists are excited about the find as no other hedges have been found in Southeast England.
To learn more about this find, see this article on Discovery News or this article on MSNBC.
Tomb Found at Stonehenge Quarry Site
Archaeologists have recently uncovered a Tomb at the Quarry site for the stones used to construct Stonehenge. The Neolithic grave is adjacent to a ceremonial center located at the quarry (identified in 2008).
“The important thing is that we have a ceremonial monument here that is earlier than the passage grave… We have obviously got a very important person who may have been responsible for the impetus for these stones to be transported… It can be compared directly with the first Stonehenge, so for the first time we have a direct link between Carn Menyn – where the bluestones came from – and Stonehenge, in the form of this ceremonial monument.” Prof. Wainwright
To learn more about this finding, see the article at BBC.
