Neolithic and early Bronze Age Europe are often see as an enigmatic , complex , and even magical fourth dimension in the story of the sometime continent . A few chiliad of years before the lift of Rome , European inhabitants were constructing monument whose meaning has been lost to time . Now new inquiry provides us with some more brainstorm .
German archeologist have dig up a Neolithic internet site near the town of Pömmelte in central Germany . The arena is the location of an ancient sanctuary make up of ringed agglomerate , ditches , and wooden posts . It is a contemporary of Stonehenge , and the investigator think that the new uncovering strengthens the case for sanctuaries like the British henges that subsist in Portugal and Spain , across Central Europe , and all the way to Bulgaria . The new finding are published in the journalAntiquity .
“ The henge monuments of the British Isles are generally considered to represent a uniquely British phenomenon , unrelated to Continental Europe ; this position should now be reconsider , ” the investigator publish in thepaper . “ The uniqueness of Stonehenge lies , strictly speaking , with its monumental megalithic computer architecture . ”
Archeological findings at the bema of Pömmelte paint a picture that the surround structures were venue for communal gatherings , ritual bodily function , and performances . The squad expose pits that expose some of the activities taking place at the situation .
The material discovered suggest the asylum was in use for 300 back-to-back twelvemonth . The early phase was dated at 2300 BCE , in which the research worker found break bits of ceramic drinking vessels , stone ax , and animal bones . These fragments are surprisingly similar in size , which suggests they were probably ritually put down before being thrown into the pits .
There are also more sick findings . The archaeologist discovered the dismembered trunk of 10 children and women , four of whom show signs of skull harm and fractured ribs . It is unclear what the circumstance of their death was , but ritual forfeiture is a strong possibility . On the other deal , the remains of several military personnel that were buried with care were also unearthed . interchangeable to Stonehenge , the site was n’t inhabited . People add up there for seasonal effect , ceremonies , and possibly for important deaths as the burials suggest .
The Pömmelte chancel was come across in 1991 thanks to aerial photographs . archeologist expose seven concentric tintinnabulation , the bombastic of which is 115 meter ( 377 foot ) in diam . About a decade ago , researchers also discovered station holes where wooden fences once stand .
[ H / T : Science ]
