New site found near Stonehenge

[October 03, 2009]  LONDON (AP) -- Archaeologists have discovered a smaller prehistoric site near Britain's famous circle of standing stones at Stonehenge.

Researchers have dubbed the site "Bluehenge," after the color of the 27 Welsh stones that were laid to make up a path. The stones have disappeared but the path of holes remains.

The new circle, unearthed over the summer by researchers from Sheffield University, represents an important find, researchers said Saturday. The site is about a mile (2 kilometers) away from Stonehenge.

Bluehenge, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) southwest of London, is believed to date back 5,000 years.

Mike Parker Pearson of Sheffield University said he believed the path and Stonehenge itself were linked to rituals of life and death.

[Associated Press]

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