16 Massive Pits Near Stonehenge Confirmed as Neolithic — A 1.25‑Mile Monumental Circle

Recent research confirms that an arc of sixteen enormous pits around Durrington Walls, just north of Stonehenge, were deliberately excavated during the Late Neolithic, around 2480 B.C.E.

What Researchers Found

Published in Internet Archaeology, the new study shows the 16 uniformly shaped shafts form a near-perfect circle more than 1.25 miles (≈2 km) across surrounding Durrington Walls — itself one of Britain’s largest prehistoric enclosures. Many pits measure almost 33 feet (≈10 m) in diameter and reach depths of up to 16 feet (≈5 m).

How They Reached the Conclusion

Archaeologists from multiple institutions combined borehole coring, sediment analysis, geochemical profiling, optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating and environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling. These independent methods converged to show the features were human-dug and filled during the Late Neolithic, likely within a short, coordinated period around 2480 B.C.E.

"The recent work confirms that the circle of shafts surrounding Durrington Walls is without precedent within the UK," said Professor Vince Gaffney of the University of Bradford. "These features were not simply dug and abandoned — they were part of a structured, monumental landscape that speaks to the complexity and sophistication of Neolithic society."

Interpretation and Significance

Data on the two arcs of pits indicate they were a cohesive element of the wider monument complex, representing an elaboration of Durrington Walls at a scale the researchers describe as "massive and completely unexpected." Tim Kinnaird of the University of St Andrews noted that the consistent geochemical signatures and synchronous dating point to a concerted, organised effort to construct the pits.

Professor Richard Bates of St Andrews highlighted the precision and labour involved: the pits are distributed over a large distance yet form a near-perfect circular pattern, implying substantial planning and skill. Archaeologists suggest the shafts may have marked a sacred boundary or performed a ceremonial function at Durrington Walls, analogous in purpose to activities associated with Stonehenge. Fine clay-silt layers in the fills indicate gradual infilling over time, rather than rapid backfilling.

Why This Matters

The discovery adds a new, monumental dimension to our understanding of Late Neolithic landscapes in Britain. It underscores the power of combining multiple geophysical and geochemical techniques to produce robust, corroborated interpretations of prehistoric sites and demonstrates the scale and social organisation of communities that created these landscapes nearly 5,000 years ago.