Henge structures made of giant stone slabs or wood have been discovered in Britain, Ireland, parts of continental Europe, and even Russia. Archaeologists have found evidence of a 4,000-year-old wooden circular structure in Denmark that may have been linked to the UK’s iconic Stonehenge.
They uncovered ancient pieces of wood spaced about 30 metres apart in a circle in the Danish town of Aars. The structure was built around 2000BC, the researchers told AFP news agency. The “once-in-a-lifetime” find “points to a strong connection with the British henge world”, Vesthimmerland Museum conservationist Sidsel Wahlin said.
Such henges functioned as ritual centres for ancient communities in Europe that worshipped the sun and conducted rituals related to agriculture. They largely consist of a ring-shaped bank on the outside and a circular structure on the inside. Henges made either of giant stone slabs or wood have been discovered in Britain, Ireland, many parts of continental Europe, and even Russia. Some of the building material was brought from miles away.
The Stonehenge in Salisbury Plain, UK, for instance, was built over months using rocks from all over the country in a project that united people. Recent studies of the iconic monument’s central stone suggest that it most likely came from Scotland, challenging previous notions that most of its slabs came from Wales.
The latest find in Denmark points to a shared belief system across Europe during this time 4,000 years ago, researchers said. Previous studies have shown that Europe underwent a substantial demographic change during this period. For instance, recent research suggests the Stonehenge was built to unify ancient Britons after a wave of migrants with ancestry in central Europe and the Steppes moved into the British Isles.
Archaeologists suspect similar henge structures may have been built in other places to unite the early farming communities. At the Denmark site, researchers are now looking for other buried artefacts like flint arrowheads and daggers to better understand the people who built the “woodhenge”.
