The new map also yielded exciting information about the less well-known Durrington Walls, or “super henge.” Located only a small distance from Stonehenge, this gargantuan monument is probably the largest of its kind with a circumference of more than 1.5 kilometers. The images hinted that at one stage, as many as 60 giant stones may have bordered the monument, some of which were 3 meters high. The holes left by the stones seem to indicate that they were pushed over which would make sense given that several lines of evidence suggest ancient cultures often altered or dismantled their monuments. The researchers also believe that some of these stones may still lay buried, but unfortunately the technology used to scan the ground could only penetrate a depth of 3 meters.
“This radically changes our view of Stonehenge,” said Vince Gaffney, head of the project at Birmingham University. “In the past we had this idea that Stonehenge was standing in splendid isolation, but it wasn’t… it’s absolutely huge.”
