Archaeologists in Denmark Discover 4,000-Year-Old Circle of Wooden Posts Resembling Stonehenge

Researchers in northern Denmark have unearthed evidence of a mysterious circle of wooden posts dating back 4,000 years. They think it may be linked to Stonehenge, the famous Neolithic site in southern England.

The circle was discovered during recent construction in the town of Aars. According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), the posts were placed about 6.5 feet apart, and they formed a circle measuring nearly 100 feet across. Archaeologists found evidence of 45 posts, though the circle may have once boasted more than 80.

“This is an extraordinary find,” says Sidsel Wåhlin, a curator at the Vesthimmerland Museum in Aars, in a statement. “The timber circle provides valuable insights into the ritual practices and social structures of this internationally connected prehistoric society. It is a testament to the rich archaeological heritage of Denmark.”

The circle was erected between 2600 and 1600 B.C.E., in the late Neolithic period or the early Bronze Age. Several similar discoveries from this period have been found nearby: Another small wooden henge lies just over a mile away, and the landscape contains several prehistoric settlements. As such, the newly discovered circle’s builders likely had a “complex and interconnected ritual and social environment,” per the statement.

The circle in Aars is a “once-in-a-lifetime find,” Wåhlin tells AFP. She adds that it “points to a strong connection with the British henge world.”

Similar circular monuments from around this period have been found throughout Europe, and they’re especially common in Britain. One of the best-known examples is England’s Stonehenge, which workers started constructing some 5,000 years ago. Historians think it was built to align with the movements of the sun.

“Building monuments on this scale, you need to understand why and how,” Wåhlin tells the Guardian’s Miranda Bryant. The recently discovered henge may have also been aligned with solstices. “It shows us that [prehistoric Britons and Danes] are sharing the same worldviews … on how to be farmers, how society connects with the supernatural.”

Researchers think the Danish circle of posts was a gathering place where people conducted rituals. As Wåhlin tells Silas Bay Nielsen of the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR), the circle could have been used for celebrations during solstices or equinoxes, or perhaps at funerals for important community members.

Over millennia, the posts disintegrated, but researchers found traces of them in the ground. They also discovered that the circle had been remade and expanded at some point after its construction.

Excavations at the site will continue through the spring. Researchers hope to find artifacts, such as tools used to build the monument, or evidence that the posts had been decoratively carved, per DR. They’re also hoping to more precisely date the circle.

“The excavation is a meticulous process, and we are delighted with the discovery and look forward to [digging] in,” says excavation manager Andreas Bo Nielsen in the statement. “The timber circle is not only a significant archaeological discovery but also a window into the past, offering us a glimpse of the ceremonial and ritual activities of our ancestors.”