Archaeologists unearth 4,000-year-old ‘Stonehenge’ burial ground in the Netherlands
Burial ground excavated in the Netherlands.
Archaeologists recently discovered a 4,000-year-old religious burial ground in the Netherlands, which has been dubbed as the "Stonehenge of the Netherlands”.
The mound discovered is 65 feet in diameter and contains the remains of around 60 men, women and children, as reported by Phys.org. The burial ground has several passages through which the sun would shine directly on the winter and summer solstices, which are the longest and shortest days of the year.
The town of Tiel, which is 45 miles east of Rotterdam, was discovered by archaeologists after six years of digging.
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Taking to its Facebook page, the town of Tiel said, “What a spectacular archaeological discovery! Archaeologists have found a 4,000-year-old religious sanctuary on an industrial site. This is the first time a site like this has been discovered in the Netherlands.”
Another Stonehenge
“The largest mound served as a sun calendar, similar to the famous stones of Stonehenge in England,” the town said in a statement, as per Reuters.
The archaeologists were also able to find offerings of both human and animal skulls as well as valuables like a bronze spearhead from the spots where the sun beamed directly.
“This sanctuary must have been a highly significant place where people kept track of special days in the year, performed rituals and buried their dead. Rows of poles stood along pathways used for processions,” the town stated.
Meanwhile, the national broadcaster NOS said, “This hill reminded one of Stonehenge, the well-known mysterious prehistoric monument in Britain, where this phenomenon also occurs.”
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Two smaller mounds, glass beads among other discoveries
The archaeologists also discovered two other smaller mounds which were being used for burial rituals and were estimated to have been used for around 800 years. The archaeologists added that in those times, the calendar was being used mainly to check harvest and festival days.
In the excavation, the experts also found a glass bead, which is said to have originated from Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) in the area. “This bead travelled a distance of some 5,000 kilometres, four millennia ago,” said chief researcher Cristian van der Linde said.
University of Groningen professor Stijn Arnoldussen said, “The bead must have been a spectacular item as for people then it was an unknown material.”
“Things were already being exchanged in those times. The bead may have been above ground for hundreds of years before it reached Tiel, but of course, it didn’t have to be,” Arnoldussen stated.
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