The New Proposed Age for Stonehenge

New research into the age of Stonehenge suggests that the structure may have been occupied at least five thousand years earlier than previously thought. 

Past analysis of the carbon-14 radioisotope from a piece of charred oak found in an excavated pit at Stonehenge estimated the site to be 3,800 years old. 

Now, a new excavation of a site about a mile from Stonehenge revealed a semi-permanent settlement that, according to carbon-dated materials, was occupied from 7,500 to 4,700 BCE. This evidence also shows that there were repeated visits to this area from the 9th to the 5th millennia BCE. 

Clearly, this location has been an important site to humans for a very long time. How amazing it is that still, pilgrimages are made to marvel at Stonehenge’s enigmatic grandeur!