Stonehenge sits near the top of Britain’s most iconic landmarks, but a lesser-known precursor to this ancient site may be responsible for its lasting impact as an archaeological titan. The Flagstones site, a circular enclosure in Dorset, England, now predates Stonehenge according to new research, suggesting that it could possibly be the oldest structure of its kind in the country.
The study, recently published in Antiquity, has established that the circular enclosure of Flagstones was constructed around 3200 B.C.E, approximately two centuries earlier than previously thought. The revised date was attained from radiocarbon analysis of several materials at the site, including human remains, red deer antlers, and charcoal. The parallels between Flagstones and Stonehenge — both serving as burial grounds — have sparked discussions about the emergence of circular enclosures in ancient Britain, which may have taken inspiration from structures in neighboring Ireland.
Funerals at Flagstones
Flagstones, originally discovered during excavations in the 1980s, is considered a “proto-henge,” reflecting a transition from rectangular and linear monuments to circular formations in the Middle Neolithic in Britain (3400 B.C.E. to 2800 B.C.E.). Similar to other proto-henges (like Stonehenge), Flagstones consists of a circular ditch with surrounding banks. It measures 100 meters (approximately 328 feet) in diameter. Pits within the site were used for at least four burials, with one adult who was cremated and three children who were not cremated.
Researchers suspected that Flagstones was built around the same time as Stonehenge and another proto-henge called Llandygái ‘Henge’ A in Gwynedd, Wales. These sites shared similar functions as cemeteries where cremated remains were held. The first phase of Stonehenge dates back to around 2900 B.C.E., while Llandygái ‘Henge’ A has not yet been directly dated.
The researchers relied on radiocarbon measurements of human bones, antler tools (likely used to dig the enclosure), and charcoal to determine that Flagstones dates back to around 3200 B.C.E, making it a few centuries older than Stonehenge.
The researchers suggest that the cremated remains of the adult, along with the non-cremated burials of the three children, could mean that Flagstones represents a transition to cremation funerary rites; cremations had already been associated with smaller circular enclosures (called “ringforms”) during the Middle Neolithic, but Flagstones appears to be an early instance of adapting this practice to a larger, proto-henge structure.
Read More: What Was Stonehenge Like Before It Was Built?
What Inspired Flagstones?
But where did the inspiration for these larger structures originate? The researchers point to sites that served a similar purpose in eastern Ireland, specifically the Boyne Valley. This region is home to several open circular enclosures that were used as burial sites. One such site, the Mound of the Hostages, shows signs that people buried children but cremated adults, like at Flagstones.
Although these Irish sites require more precise dating to confirm their potential connection with British proto-henges, the researchers claim that interactions between southern Britain and eastern Ireland may have facilitated the diffusion of funerary practices that inspired monuments like Flagstones and Stonehenge.
Pottery Across the British Isles
Further evidence of interactions across the British Isles during the Middle Neolithic is shown by Grooved Ware pottery styles, which originated north of Scotland and spread to parts of Britain and Ireland from 3200 to 2900 B.C.E. No pottery of this type was recovered at Flagstones, but a decorated cup belonging to an early Grooved Ware style was found near an adjacent house, so it is likely associated with the site. The researchers say an almost identical artifact was previously found at Stonehenge, associated with a cremation there.
Although questions still surround the origin of proto-henges, the researchers believe Flagstones was a prototype for later monuments like Stonehenge based on the new chronology. Future dating efforts at additional sites, they hope, will create a clear picture of Neolithic interactions in the British Isles.
Read More: Stonehenge Poses a New Mystery: The Altar Stone Came From Faraway Scotland
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Jack Knudson is an assistant editor at Discover with a strong interest in environmental science and history. Before joining Discover in 2023, he studied journalism at the Scripps College of Communication at Ohio University and previously interned at Recycling Today magazine.
