Constructed more than 4,600 years ago, Stonehenge continues to emanate a mysterious aura. Now, the secrets of Stonehenge have finally been revealed thanks to high-tech archaeology. The Stonehenge Hidden Landscapes Project aims to unravel the mystery beneath and around the circle of giant stones.
After years of wondering what lies beneath the ancient site of Stonehenge, British archaeologists and researches have finally discovered the truth. Using high-tech archaeological sensing techniques, Brit researchers have found hundreds of features concealed under the dirt in areas nearby Stonehenge.
In fact, according to the research done, Stonehenge is part of a much larger area that includes 17 other circular structures. Some of these were built the same time as Stonehenge dating 5,000 years back.
A four year collaboration between Austria's Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Archaeological Prospection and Virtual Technology and University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom have come up with The Stonehenge Hidden Landscapes Project. Using geophysical surveys and a wide range of remote sensing technologies, the team aims to search for extended features and monuments of Stonehenge hidden beneath.
The remote sensing technologies used are laser scanning, airborne imaging spectroscopy and aerial photography. These methods create exact topographical models that measure composition of elements above-ground accurately.
"The Stonehenge Hidden Landscapes Project is unique at a global level. Not only has it revolutionised how archaeologists use new technologies to interpret the past, it has transformed how we understand Stonehenge and its landscape," stated University of Birmingham Professor Vincent Gaffney.
Some of the new finds at the Stonehenge site include a number of burial mounds dating before the construction of the circular monument and prehistoric pits and homes dating to the Iron and Bronze Ages.
Bigger discoveries include information about other structures namely the Durrington Walls. According to the survey done, the structure was flanked by gigantic rows of 60 stones buried in the surrounding henge.
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