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An “extraordinary” timber circle believed to be thousands of years old and connected to Stonehenge in England has been discovered in the ground in Denmark.
The circle of at least 45 wooden posts in Aars, North Jutland, has a diameter of about 30 metres and is believed to have been constructed between 2600 and 1600BC.
The “woodhenge”, the second to be found in the area, was discovered in January during excavation of the site.
Experts say the find shows how widespread shared belief systems were and the close connection between Denmark and England.
Sidsel Wåhlin, a curator at Vesthimmerlands Museum, who came across the holes while taking off the topsoil with the excavation leader, Andreas Bo Nielsen, said: “It is an extraordinary find.”
At first she thought it was a line of post holes, then Wåhlin discovered it formed the shape of a circle. “I was like: ‘Oh my God, a timber circle, there is just no other explanation.’”
The circle, which was not visible in aerial photography archives, offered insights into the rituals and social structures of the late stone age and early bronze age, she said.
Britain and Ireland have dozens of henges – round earthen enclosures, some featuring stones or timber posts, such as Stonehenge and nearby Woodhenge – remaining from 3000BC to 2000BC.
“They are ritual centres and sites that are connected with the worship of the sun and the agricultural ritual practices of the time,” Wåhlin said. “In order to decide to make such a specific monument you have to understand what it means and how to plan it.”
The newly discovered Danish woodhenge appeared to have a similar axis as England’s Stonehenge and Woodhenge, she said. “It shows us that they are sharing the same worldviews on large-scale areas on how to be farmers, how society connects with the supernatural.
“Building monuments on this scale, you need to understand why and how. If a British person from the time would have come to the site they would have known what they are doing in there.”
They are waiting for the results of wood samples but the posts are most likely to have been made from oak. The team hopes to do genetic testing to see if there are any DNA connections between the site and the UK or other parts of Europe.
