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May 26, 2003
Dateline: Amesbury, UK
"Stonehenge Unraveled...... Secrets Begin to Surface."

More than likely, if you are reading this, your curiosity in The Unexplained and Mysteries have brought you here.

Stonehenge and it's secrets have had the world scratching its head for thousands of years.

What is the significance of those mammoth stones, placed "just so" that leave those who have been there, feeling almost haunted?

What is the purpose of Stonehenge? What did those who designed, constructed, tore down and reconstructed this monument hope to tell us? Did they realize that this haunting site would still be around after almost 5,000 years?

Finally, some secrets may be starting to come to light.

In May 2002, a housing development 3 miles from Stonehenge, was being excavated. During this process and totally by surprise, a grave was discovered. This grave contained the remains of a man who walked the Earth 2,300 years ago.

Archaeologists at first suspected that this grave would contain remains from Roman times, since similar finds had been made in the past, in this general vicinity.

However, not long before work was to cease for the day, further investigation revealed Beaker Pottery within that grave. Pottery dating back to 2,500 years BEFORE the Romans. Needless to say, plans for that day changed and from that day forward, the excitement has yet to wane.

That grave belonged to a man who was 35 to 45 years old, at the time of his death. He was buried on his left side, facing north. His legs were bent and gold hair tresses were found with the remains as well. He was dubbed "The Amesbury Archer" and subsequently known as "The King of Stonehenge."

The grave, rectangular in shape, very large and probably was lined with timber.

On his forearm was a slate wristguard to protect his arm from the recoil of his longbow, and next to that, a bone pin used to hold a piece of clothing together, perhaps a leather cloak.

His entire grave was scattered with tools. Boar tusks, flints, copper knives, scrappers and arrowheads, just to list a few. It is clear that those who buried the Archer provided him with all the necessary items he would need in the afterlife.

Not far away, another grave was found. It contained the remains of a man approximately 25 to 30, at the time of his death. During the cleaning process in the lab, it was discovered that this man also had a pair of gold hair tresses, found inside his jaw, in the same style as the Archer's. Very few of these earrings had ever been located in Britain.

It didn't take long to discover that these two men were related. Both had unusual bone structure in their feet.

What is most amazing? Oxygen content in their teeth enamel was analyzed. From this information, it has been ascertained that the Archer grew up in The Alps, while his companion grew up in Southern England, yet it has been proven they were related!

The time period in which these two men lived, 2,300 years ago, is also a major factor. Basically, this was the period of time when The Stone Age transformed into The Bronze Age. For the first time, metals were introduced into Britain. Copper, Gold and then Bronze (copper and tin combined).

Now, one year later another remarkable "find." 

On May 23, 2003, an announcement was made that an additional grave had been discovered, in Amesbury, Wiltshire, one-half mile from "The King of Stonehenge,." One-half mile.

Just as a year earlier, those who were working in the area, '"bumped into" the grave, in the process of digging a trench for a new water pipe.

To add to the mystery? This single grave held the remains of six (6) people, four adults and two children. This is a rare occurrence.

Based on initial investigation, the bodies were not all buried at the same time. There is speculation that several generations were buried in one grave. It appears that the grave had been reopened, to permit further burials. The bones of the earlier burials were "mixed" wherein the later two bodies, a man and a child, were totally undisturbed.

The age of the grave and the remains date back 2,300 years ...  Just like "The King of Stonehenge." In addition, the grave contained Beaker Pottery, flint tools, one flint arrowhead and a bone toggle, for fastening clothing.... Just as found in the Archer's grave.

Dr Andrew Fitzpatrick, of Wessex Archaeology, said: “This new find is really unusual. It is exceptionally rare to find the remains of so many people in one grave like this in southern England. The number of beaker pots in the grave, four, is only exceeded by the grave of the Amesbury Archer, where there were five.

He then added, “The grave is fascinating because we are seeing the moment when Britain was moving from the Stone Age into the Bronze Age, around 2,300BC. The large number of bodies placed in this grave is something more commonly found in the Stone Age, but the Beaker style pottery is found in Bronze Age burials."

One final "twist" to this latest development. A trench for an electrical line had already cut through part of the grave. However? The water trench that led to the discovery, just missed the other side of the grave.

Perhaps 4,500 years later those who were here and more than likely were involved with the construction of Stonehenge, are leading us, in the 21st Century to unravel the secrets behind this massive monument and the REASONS for its existence. Is that possible?
Nancy, Director of Operations, Editor

Editor's NOTE: Research for this amazing story is based on:

Wessex Archaeology was established in 1979 and is a non-profit making limited company and a registered charity. It employs more than 150 archaeologists on projects in the UK and abroad. It works with councils and developers to ensure that archaeological remains are excavated, recorded and analyzed in advance of housing development and transport schemes. As well as excavations, it carries out marine archaeology, human remains analysis, building surveys and 3D modeling.

Website: http://www.wessexarch.co.uk/
http://www.mysteriousplaces.com/stonehenge/
http://www.wessexarch.co.uk/projects/amesbury/archer.html