Science

Stonehenge breakthrough 'shatters' myths around ancient monument


Stonehenge is one of Britain’s biggest ancient mysteries. Archaeologists still aren’t entirely sure what it was used for, though have proposed several uses, including a place to bury the elite.

Most archaeologists believe it was used as a burial ground for more than 500 years, and some agree it was of possible spiritual importance, due to the encompassing horseshoe arrangement being aligned to the sunset of the winter solstice and the opposing sunrise of the summer solstice.

And now a breakthrough has ‘shattered’ myths surrounding the ancient monument.

Osteoarchaeologist Jackie McKinley put forward an alternative theory during Discovery UK’s ‘The Secret Skeletons Beneath Stonehenge’ after she discovered a “very rare” piece of metalwork in a nearby grave.

She said: “There were two graves that were within three metres of each other and I think the other man was the one who worked the magic.

“I think he was the person who could make the changes from pieces of rock to items of beauty.”

Jackie is convinced that both men were metalworkers who came to Stonehenge to make and sell their precious metal goods. The narrator explained why this could change views on what Stonehenge was used for.

To Jackie, Stonehenge was more than a monument, it was a thriving hub for craft and trade. But Jackie has discovered something even more extraordinary.

She added: “These ancient craftsmen had come a long way to set up shop at Stonehenge.”

Yesterday, Just Stop Oil activists sprayed orange paint on Stonehenge. Video footage posted on social media showed two people wearing white shirts with Just Stop Oil on running up to the monoliths with canisters spraying paint.

Members of the public were seen trying to prevent the protesters by dragging them away in the shock attack on Wednesday (June 19).

Several of the stones, which date back to the late Neolithic period, were seen covered in orange paint before one protester sat on the grass and the other was detained by a member of the public.



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