According to the very latest findings, reported today by MSNBC, England’s  Stonehenge, a true oddity,  served as a burial ground from its earliest beginnings,possibly for ancient kings or chieftains, researchers reported.

Carbon-14 dating of cremated remains and bone fragments shows that burials took place as early as 3000 B.C., when the first ditches around the monument were being built, said University of Sheffield archaeologist Mike Pearson. Those burials continued for at least 500 years, when the giant stones that mark the mysterious circle were being erected, he said.

Mr. Pearson heads the Stonehenge Riverside Archaeological Project, which has been excavating the area around the world-famous attraction for five years. He said the burial patterns  support the idea that Stonehenge served as England’s grandest ancient family cemetery.

Mr. Pearson stated that although the ground was a place of burials, it could easily have served several other purposes as well.  One of the hypotheses is that the place was also a platform for healing rituals.

Previous study had carbon dated remains in a very narrow range of age, about 2600-2700 years ago, but the investigation of the last years has produced the wider range and greater number of fragmented remains. Pearson speculates that the various areas were family plots, a place to keep remains of ancestors with progeny.

The entire story is to be told in the June 2008 issue of National Geographic magazine, the sponsor of the excavations, and also a television special called ‘Stonehenge Decoded’ to be presented on the National Geographic Channel.

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[tags] Stonehenge, ancient cemetery, MSNBC, National Geographic (magazine and channel), carbon-14 dating [/tags]