'Bluehenge' the new Stonehenge, say researchers

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By staff writers

October 03, 2009 11:00pm

• "New Stonehenge" smaller, same age
• Been kept secret for months
• "Bluehenge" just as important

A "NEW Stonehenge" uncovered near the original famous monument could be one of the most important prehistoric finds in decades, archaeologists say.

Dubbed "Bluehenge", the site was unearthed over the British summer and has been kept secret since.

Researchers say it appears to have been constructed around the same time as Stonehenge and the two may have been used in conjunction.

Made up of 27 stones, compared to 56 at Stonehenge, Bluehenge has been so-named due its use of blue Welsh stones, many of which were taken down to enlarge Stonehenge hundreds of years after the two first appeared.

"It's no longer Stonehenge standing alone," monument expert Professor Tim Darvill told the UK Daily Telegraph.

"It has to be seen in context with the landscape."

Professor Darvill said it was likely more circles would be found.

None of the stones at Bluehenge remain, but chips found in the bottom of excavated holes suggest the stone was the same as that used at Stonehenge.

The circle was found at the end of a path connecting Stonehenge to the River Avon known as "The Avenue".

"Bluehenge" may be just as important as the nearby Stonehenge, say archaeologists / AP / The Associated Press