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Stones, pits and Stonehenge

Abstract

There have been many mathematical or astronomical explanations of the construction of certain elements at Stonehenge1–9. In 1979 a small salvage excavation at the site resulted in the chance discovery of a prehistoric pit dug to take a standing stone. The recognition that such substantial structures can exist unknown at Stonehenge is important to those who seek alignments or patterns in the locations of neolithic features. That ‘known’ arrangements could be affected by such unexpected discoveries is here illustrated with a preliminary reassessment of the significance of the Heelstone and the Station Stones (a full description of all aspects of Stonehenge is given in ref. 10).

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Pitts, M. Stones, pits and Stonehenge. Nature 290, 46–47 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1038/290046a0

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