29 October 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Britain’s Oldest Prehistoric Circle Uncovered, Potential Blueprint for Stonehenge

Recent archaeological findings at the prehistoric funerary site of Flagstones in Dorset have unveiled that this remarkable circular enclosure, dating back to 3,200 BC, stands as the oldest known example of monumental architecture in Britain, offering profound insights into the origins of Neolithic society.

Through cutting-edge radiocarbon analysis of human remains, red deer antlers, and charcoal discovered at the site, researchers have determined that Flagstones was constructed around 3200 BC, roughly two centuries earlier than previously believed. This discovery implies that the site could have acted as a prototype for later renowned monuments, including Stonehenge.

Recent findings from a collaborative study conducted by the University of Exeter and Historic England have been published in the latest edition of the journal Antiquity.

Dr. Susan Greaney, a specialist in Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments from Exeter’s Department of Archaeology and History, described Flagstones as an unusual monument, noting that it is a perfectly circular ditched enclosure associated with burials and cremations. She explained that, in some respects, it resembles earlier structures known as causewayed enclosures, while in other aspects, it shares similarities with later monuments referred to as henges. However, the precise classification of Flagstones among these types of monuments remained uncertain until now. The revised chronology indicates that it was built in an earlier period than previously thought.

Flagstones was unearthed in the 1980s during the construction of the Dorchester bypass, where excavations revealed a circular ditch with a diameter of 100 meters, formed by intersecting pits and likely accompanied by an earthwork bank. Currently, half of the site is situated beneath the bypass, while the other half lies under Max Gate, the former residence of Thomas Hardy, which is now managed by the National Trust. Flagstones is recognized as a scheduled monument, with artifacts and excavation records housed at the Dorset Museum.



📣 Our WhatsApp channel is now LIVE! Stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates, just click here to follow us on WhatsApp and never miss a thing!!



Aerial view of the Flagstones excavations in the 1980s. Credit: Dorset Museum
Aerial view of the Flagstones excavations in the 1980s. Credit: Dorset Museum

Excavations uncovered at least four burials within the enclosure pits, including a cremated adult and three non-cremated children, along with three additional partial cremations of adults found in other locations. The resemblance of this site to the initial phase of Stonehenge, which dates back to around 2900 BC, led researchers to believe that Flagstones was constructed around the same time.

The recent scientific dating initiative, spearheaded by Dr. Greaney and Dr. Peter Marshall, the former Scientific Dating Co-Ordinator at Historic England, involved collaboration with laboratories at ETH Zürich and the University of Groningen, resulting in 23 new radiocarbon measurements.

The integration of radiocarbon dating with archaeological evidence has shown that early Neolithic activities, such as pit digging, occurred around 3650 BC. Following a significant gap of several centuries, the circular ditched enclosure was established around 3200 BC, with burials placed within it shortly thereafter. Notably, a later burial of a young adult male beneath a large sarsen stone at the center of the enclosure took place approximately 1,000 years after its initial use.

Dr. Greaney highlighted the significance of Flagstones’ chronology in understanding the evolving sequence of ceremonial and funerary monuments in Britain. She noted that Stonehenge, considered the ‘sister’ monument to Flagstones, shares a nearly identical first phase but dates to around 2900 BC. Dr. Greaney raised questions about the relationship between the two sites, asking whether Flagstones could have inspired Stonehenge or if the new findings indicate that the current dating of Stonehenge may require reevaluation.

Plan of the excavated western half of the Flagstones enclosure. Credit: Susan Greaney
Plan of the excavated western half of the Flagstones enclosure. Credit: Susan Greaney

Additionally, Flagstones demonstrates connections to other notable sites, such as Llandygái ‘Henge’ A in Gwynedd, Wales, and even locations in Ireland, as indicated by artifacts and burial customs. These findings underscore the interconnected nature of Neolithic communities across Britain and beyond.

University of Exeter

Greaney, S., Hajdas, I., Dee, M., & Marshall, P. (2025). Beginning of the circle? Revised chronologies for Flagstones and Alington Avenue, Dorchester, Dorset. Antiquity, 1–17. doi:10.15184/aqy.2025.28

Cover Image Credit: Flagstones enclosure seen shortly after construction in the middle Neolithic period. Reconstruction by Jennie Anderson

Related Articles

A new study attributes Japanese, Korean and Turkish languages all to a common ancestor in northeastern China

11 November 2021

11 November 2021

According to a new study, modern languages ranging from Japanese and Korean to Turkish and Mongolian may have had a...

Homo Sapiens are older than we previously thought

16 January 2022

16 January 2022

Researchers have discovered that Omo I skeletons, previously thought to be less than 200,000 years old, are 230,000 years old....

The Headless Corpses of Somersham was Victims of Roman Executions

30 May 2021

30 May 2021

Excavations at Knobb’s Farm in Somersham, Cambridgeshire, unearthed three small late Roman graves on the outskirts of an agricultural village....

2,000-Year-Old Dancing Man Statuette Unearthed in Siberia

6 May 2021

6 May 2021

During excavations for a new bridge over the Ob River in Novosibirsk, Russia’s third-largest district, a ten-centimeter-tall figurine was discovered....

Researchers Discovered Wreckage of a Schooner that Sank in Lake Michigan in Late 1800s

27 July 2024

27 July 2024

Maritime historians from the Wisconsin Underwater Archeology Association discovered the wreckage of a schooner that sank in Lake Michigan in...

Exciting discoveries at Accana Mound: 3,250-year-old seal belonging to Hittite prince and Akkadian cuneiform texts discovered

19 November 2021

19 November 2021

A 3250-year-old seal of the Hittite prince and a 3400-year-old cuneiform tablet was found in Accana Höyük (Mound) in the...

Obsidian Research in Alberta Uncovers Evidence of Extensive Long-Distance Trade Among Indigenous Peoples Before European Contact

31 March 2025

31 March 2025

Recent research into obsidian artifacts in Alberta, a province located in western Canada, has unveiled significant evidence of long-distance trade...

3D virtual reconstruction of the Celtic city gate

2 May 2022

2 May 2022

A new 3D virtual reconstruction of the Celtic gate has been made in Staffelberg, in the German state of Bavaria....

Lost medieval road thought to have been used by famous Scottish king Robert the Bruce found

27 June 2021

27 June 2021

Excavating a hill considered to have played a critical part in the Battle of Bannockburn, archaeologists discovered a forgotten medieval...

Significant Archaeological Discovery on Failaka Island: Hellenistic Courtyard and Building Unearthed

17 February 2025

17 February 2025

The National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL) has announced a remarkable archaeological find on Failaka Island, revealing a...

Archaeologists discover 7,000-year-old tiger shark-tooth knives in Indonesia

29 October 2023

29 October 2023

Excavations on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi have yielded an incredible find: two tiger shark teeth that were fashioned into...

1700 years ago the Korean peninsula had more genetic diversity than in our time, “Facial reconstruction possible through DNA analyses”

22 June 2022

22 June 2022

An international team led by The University of Vienna and the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology in collaboration...

Little Known Powerful Kingdom of History’s “Mitanni Kingdom”

3 February 2021

3 February 2021

Hurrians; They became a state organization with a warrior and ruling class of Indo-Aryan origin who came from North-West Mesopotamia...

3,000-year-old ‘charioteer belt’ discovered in Siberia

21 July 2023

21 July 2023

Russian archaeologists uncovered the grave of a Late Bronze Age man buried wearing a “charioteer’s belt”, a flat bronze plate...

Archaeologists Find One of the Long-Lost Holy Cities in Jordan

13 July 2025

13 July 2025

A remarkable archaeological discovery in Jordan has brought one of the Holy Land’s long-lost cities back to light. Researchers now...