A badger uncovers ​'exciting' Bronze Age cremation site near Stonehenge

An 'exciting' Bronze Age cremation site near Stonehenge has been uncovered - by a badger. (Western Daily Press)

Artefacts dating from 2,200 - 2,000 BC have been found, including an archer's wrist guard, copper chisel, bronze saw and cremated human remains.They were discovered after badgers dug into an ancient burial mound on land belonging to the Ministry of Defence at Netheravon, Wilts., around five miles north of Stonehenge. 

Richard Osgood, senior archaeologist from the MOD's Defence Infrastructure Organisation, said the burial site was "an exciting find". 

He said: "It was utterly unexpected. These are wonderful artefacts from the early Bronze Age, about 2,200-2,000 BC. 

"There are badger setts in quite a few scheduled monuments - the actions of burrowing animals is one of the biggest risks to archaeology in Britain - but to bring out items of this quality from one hole is unusual. 

"We would never have known these objects were in there, so there's a small part of me that is quite pleased the badger did this... but it probably would have been better that these things had stayed within the monument where they'd resided for 4,000 years." 

The items were spotted after a badger dug up a cremation urn and had left sherds of pottery lying on the ground. 

A full archaeological dig has now been carried out on the site which was excavated with the help of injured military personnel and veterans. 

During the dig, shaft straighteners for straightening arrows and pieces of pottery were also found. 

Wiltshire has been an area of discovery for a number of other ancient finds, including 27 bodies found by soldiers, a 6,000-year-old encampment and Bronze Age jewellery. 

The items dug up by the badger will go on display at Wiltshire Museum in Devizes later this year.

Read the full story in the excellent Western Daily Press

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Stonehenge burial pit for the Neolithic elite contains a 'surprising' number of women: Find suggests females played a key role in the society and had same rights as men

• Researchers found 99 lbs (45kg) of cremated bone in a Stonehenge pit
• They have identified 14 females and nine males with the help of CT scans 
• This contrasts with studied from other Neolithic tombs in southern Britain
• Find shows women were among the elite buried at the stone monument and were given the same right and treatment as men in the community

Christie Willis, from the University College London and an expert on human remains,
sorted through bone fragments (example shown left) from the famous site.
Other members of the team are shown right near the pit. She identified 14 females and nine males,
with the help of CT scans and osteological analysis

Caricatures of Stone Age man may cast him as a bit of a brute, and few depictions of Stonehenge across art work and TV feature images of women.

But a burial pit found at Stonehenge challenges this view by revealing a 'surprising' number of females among those cremated at the Wiltshire site.

Researchers have spent years sifting through and analysing the remains of adults found at the monument to discover that, to their astonishment, more bones belonged to women than men.

The find contrasts with earlier studies from older Neolithic tombs in southern Britain, where burials showed a higher ratio of adult males to females.

But it supports the theory that Stonehenge functioned as a cemetery for leaders, according to a report published in the latest issue of British Archaeology.

The paper explained that between 100 and 200 people are said to have been buried across the Stonehenge site during the late Neolithic and copper age.

This study, however, focused particularly on a pit known as Aubrey Hole seven - one of 56 chalk pits encircling the famous ancient site.

Burials at Stonehenge were likely for people of higher status so this this study shows women were members of the elite as long ago as 2,000 BC.

By SARAH GRIFFITHS FOR MAILONLINE (Read the full story)

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Architect presents radical new theory that Stonehenge was a two-storey, wooden feasting and performance hall

Could the prehistoric Stonehenge megaliths once have been the support for a wooden, two-storey roundhouse, a venue for feasting, speakers and musicians? That’s the theory of an English landscape architect who designed a small model of what she has in mind and is looking for money to build a 1:10 scale model of the structure.

Sarah Ewbank says the fact she is not an archaeologist has freed her from preconceived notions and allowed her to approach the matter in a fresh way.
Ms Ewbank told Ancient Origins via email about her vision of Stonehenge:

“I believe Stonehenge was a Bronze-age venue, a large oval hall encircled and overlooked by galleries. Interestingly the upper level was tiered, the height of different sections reflecting the different height trilithons.  Consider both hall and galleries filled, listening to a speaker, or maybe there was feasting on the galleries with dancing below, perhaps crowds gathered to listen to singing or musicians playing, or maybe ceremonies took place to welcome in the solstices. It all sounds rather splendid and certainly needed – there were no electronic gadgets then!
My view – such a splendid building deserved to be used often – so, much as the Albert Hall in London serves to accommodate every type of gathering, so I believe our Bronze-age ancestors used Stonehenge whenever such a venue was required. Our bronze-age ancestors were intelligent people with needs similar to ours today. Forget the furry loin cloth and ritual sacrifice stuff - it's wrong.”

She said she’s discussed her theories with other experts. Some of them agree with her interpretation of the building’s use, but others strongly disagree and argue for the traditional view

Read the full story: http://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-europe/architect-presents-radical-new-theory-stonehenge-was-two-storey-wooden-020722#ixzz3yi6nslns

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