Dorset “mega henge” Mount Pleasant was built in a hurry by stone age builders who ‘sensed end of an era’, according to a new research.
A study of the Mount Pleasant mega henge, which was taught to have been built over centuries has found that it may have been constructed in just decades.
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According to scholars from Cardiff University, the findings of their research could mean that a desperate and hurried work was launched in the south of the country around 2,500BC, shortly before the arrival of people from mainland Europe.
They believe the arrival of the people also meant they came with their beliefs, lifestyles and materials.
The lead researcher of the university’s school of history, archaeology and religion said: “The picture emerging is an explosion in building activity with large and labour-intensive monuments being constructed across southern England, and perhaps further afield.
“The building of Mount Pleasant would have involved a huge number of people – digging out the enormous ditches with simple tools like antler picks. This was right at the end of the stone age, just before people came from the continent with metal goods, new types of pottery, new styles of burial and so on.”
She said this can be considered as the “last hurrah of the stone age”.
She added: “They could see the changes coming and decide to resist them – they may have been thinking: ‘We don’t need these changes. We’ll build bigger and better monuments to our gods. We’ll knuckle down and stick with what we know.”
Mount Pleasant, which is now ploughed fields, was constructed with a henge, which is a circular enclosure encircled by bank and ditch, according to The Guardian.
It also had a palisade, a fence which is made out of massive tree trunks.
Mount Pleasant’s size is equivalent to nine football pitches and is among five mega henges, including Durrington Walls and Avebury in Wiltshire, which are located in the south of England.
They were all built around the same time period.
The stone circle seen at Stonehenge was also constructed around the same time and is believed to have been an important spot where ceremonies and rituals were held.
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In the early 1970s, archeologists discovered objects such as picks, human bone and pieces of charcoal following an excavation of Mount Pleasant.
The items found were then dating by the help of new methods which had not been discovered 50 years ago.
The study concluded that the majority of the site was built in between 35 and 125 years.
However, Greaney also presented another theory.
She said: “It may also be that the effort of building these monuments led to a rebellion or a collapse in belief that created a vacuum that allowed people to come in from the continent.”
She wondered whether a part of a central stone monument which appeared broken was “destroyed during a time of unrest”.
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Historic England’s Peter Marshall said: “This research shows the importance of archaeological collections stored in museums.
Even though the site was excavated 50 years ago, it has been possible to use utilise new scientific techniques to examine the material held in Dorchester.
“As archaeological practices evolve, the value of these museum collections and the importance of their long-term preservation cannot be underestimated.”
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