Experts unearth first ‘Woodhenge’
Archaeologists painstakingly sift through tonnes of soil to uncover secrets of East Yorkshire ‘Woodhenge’
ARCHAEOLOGY: Over the past three months archeologists have been hard at work bringing to light what they believe could be East Yorkshire’s first Woodhenge – as in Stonehenge without the stone – near Hornsea.
It is possible that bodies were brought here for ritual cremation. Archaeologist John Tibbles ponders the meaning of the burnt stones at the site.
THOUSANDS OF years ago it would have stood proud on the horizon, a striking monument which could be seen for miles.
The circular monument lay hidden for centuries under farmland, its existence only hinted at in crop marks, spotted in aerial surveys.
But over the past three months archeologists have been hard at work bringing to light what they believe could be East Yorkshire’s first Woodhenge – as in Stonehenge without the stone – at Little Catwick Quarry near Hornsea. And it could have been used for ritual cremation – or even a sauna.
Built at least 4,000 years ago in the late Neolithic to Bronze Age, it was constructed out of a series of wooden posts.
Later an encircling ditch and bank was added with two opposing entrances, one facing north west, the other south east.
Intriguingly, a pit was discovered in the middle of the henge containing heavily burnt stones, while others were found discarded in the entrances.
Lead archaeologist John Tibbles said the discovery of the Woodhenge was “exceptionally rare” – so rare they decided to sieve through the contents of the surrounding ditches – totalling 95 tonnes –entirely by hand.
He added: “Normally when you mention ritual, archeologists laugh. But in this case it was ritual, it was a meeting place, where all the little groups could come together.
“We found a lot of burnt stones, but they weren’t burned in situ and therefore we think you could have ritual cremation there.
“It is possible that bodies were brought there to be cremated and then the remains buried elsewhere. There could be links with Sandsfield, a mile away, where there was a cemetery with a ring ditch with 37 urns, dating to the late Neolithic/early Bronze Age.”
However discoveries at Marden Henge in Wiltshire have been throwing a new light on the way henges may have been used in Neolithic Britain and another possibility could be that at some time it was used as a sauna.
Finds there suggest people were heating up stones on an external fire then carrying them into a building and placing them on an internal hearth. People sat around the hearth, pouring water onto the stones to bask in the steam in the same way native American Indians used to create sweat lodges. It sounds unlikely but other similar finds include a Bronze Age sauna on Orkney. Mr Tibbles said: “I’d like to totally dismiss it - but they have had them in Finland for 2000 years and there is Marden Henge.”
In the spring the henge will be dug up as the quarry is extended.
However Mr Tibbles said the site had been painstakingly and methodically recorded under the supervision of the county archeologist.
Only one other henge has been found in East Yorkshire. Two years ago the as yet unexcavated Neolithic site, at Northorpe, near Hornsea, was given special protection by Historic England. A circular space with a ditch and a bank on the outside, it has been flattened by years of ploughing and was only visible as dark crop marks from the air.