An ancient encampment discovered near the prehistoric monument could rewrite British history.
The earliest settlement ever found at the site, the Mesolithic 'Blick
Mead' encampment is located about a mile and a half from Stonehenge and
dates back to 4,000 BC.
Archaeologists exploring the site, which
is believed to have been occupied by hunter gatherers returning to the
British Isles after the last Ice Age, discovered signs of feasting such
as burnt flints and the remains of giant bulls called aurochs which are
now extinct.
"British pre-History may have to be rewritten," said
archaeologist David Jacques who made the discovery. "This is the latest
dated Mesolithic encampment ever found in the UK."
"Blick Mead
site connects the early hunter gatherer groups returning to Britain
after the Ice Age to the Stonehenge area all the way through to the
Neolithic in the late 5th Millennium BC."
Concerns have been
raised however concerning proposals to construct a road tunnel
underneath Stonehenge with experts fearing that the project could
destroy valuable archaeological evidence.
"Our only chance to
find out about the earliest chapter of Britain’s history could be
wrecked if the tunnel goes ahead," said Jacques.
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