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Archaeology & History

Grass patches solve Stonehenge mystery

By T.K. Randall
September 1, 2014 · Comment icon 31 comments

The monument was once perfectly circular in shape. Image Credit: PD - Wiki
A 4,000-year-old mystery has finally been solved thanks to a hosepipe being a little on the short side.
When a recent dry spell caused unsightly patches of brown grass to appear around the ancient Wiltshire monument, custodian Tim Daw's biggest concern was finding a hosepipe long enough to reach the parts that needed watering.

To his amazement however, the dry grass patches seemed to be indicating where several of the original stones once stood - confirming that the ancient monument was once a perfect circle.
"I am still amazed and very pleased that simply really looking at something, that tens of thousands of people had unwittingly seen, can reveal secrets that sophisticated machinery can't," he said

Archaeologists quickly descended on the scene to take aerial photographs and examine the locations of the brown patches for themselves. The researchers soon confirmed that the grass did indeed correspond to the locations of the stones.

"It shows us just how much we still have to learn about Stonehenge," said historian Susan Greaney. "It's great that people who know the site really well and look at it every day were able to spot these parch marks and recognise them for what they were."

Source: The Guardian | Comments (31)




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Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #22 Posted by LucidElement 10 years ago
And just when I thought a ring of rocks could not get any more interesting....... lol i read ROCKS to fast, at first glance it didnt look like rocks haha.. to funny.
Comment icon #23 Posted by Dracona15 10 years ago
I just realized I'm reading about a bunch of rocks...And it actually interests me... What have I become?
Comment icon #24 Posted by Sundew 10 years ago
When I get brown patches in the lawn its usually only chinch bugs.
Comment icon #25 Posted by DieChecker 10 years ago
Perhaps the gardener was mystified, and that mystery was solved when the experts told him, "Yep, that is where the stones used to sit."?
Comment icon #26 Posted by Harte 10 years ago
The stones themselves didn't cause the brown spots. It was all the dogs peeing on the stones that did it. Harte
Comment icon #27 Posted by jarjarbinks 10 years ago
as a true retro hipster pagan druid, i find it offensive that Stonehenge got so many news on this website.
Comment icon #28 Posted by shrooma 10 years ago
as a true retro hipster . as a hipster, does that mean you've done the 'warm water bucket' challenge then? it's like the 'ice-water bucket' challenge, but before it was cool..... ;-)
Comment icon #29 Posted by jarjarbinks 10 years ago
no i'm a retro hipster, so i'll do it in 2years maybe
Comment icon #30 Posted by Eternal Light 10 years ago
wouldn't it be cool if they found another one of these out on another planet in like a photo that a satellite takes an end up being an exact copy of the one here on earth like with the same style of work and stones only this one is like a perfect circle and complete imagine how crazy it would be wondering why another one is on another planet when people already can't figure out why this one is here There are, indeed, many other stone circles, both in Wiltshire, as well as spread around the rest of England. There are stone circles in the Orkney's, and Australia, and all over the world. There ar... [More]
Comment icon #31 Posted by shrooma 10 years ago
There are, indeed, many other stone circles, both in Wiltshire, as well as spread around the rest of England. There are stone circles in the Orkney's, and Australia, and all over the world. There are also 'Woodhenges' around the country, and in other parts of the world. . no. there aren't. please, name me one. . Many stones circles in Wiltshire, which is where Stonehenge is situated, are much larger circles than that at Stonehenge, . again, no there aren't. only Avebury is larger, and one doesn't constitute "many". . The Farmers around the stone circles, in Wiltshire in particular, must really... [More]


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