The Mystery Of Why This Bronze Age Timber Circle Was Built On A Beach In England Has Finally Been Solved

The purpose of a prehistoric monument known as “Seahenge” found in the United Kingdom has remained a mystery ever since its discovery.
But now, a new study has proposed that ceremonial rituals to end a prolonged series of harsh winters and extend warm weather may explain the construction of the monument.
Seahenge is a timber circle dating back around 4,000 years ago to the Early Bronze Age. It was uncovered in 1998 on Holme Beach in Norfolk County, which is located on the east coast of England.
The circle measures 22 feet in diameter and consists of 55 oak posts surrounding several upturned oak tree trunks. The wooden posts once stretched as high as 10 feet.
Archaeologists at the time removed the structure from the site for further study and protection. Today, about half of the timbers are on display at a museum in Norfolk.
Radiocarbon dating has shown that the monument was built in the spring of 2049 B.C. It once stood on a salt marsh away from the sea. The swampy area contained peat that has helped preserve the wood.
During excavations at the site, a second structure was discovered just 300 or so feet away from Seahenge.
It was made up of two timber rings encircling a pit with two oak logs in it. The structure was dubbed Holme II and also dated to 2049 B.C.
The discovery of Seahenge triggered a long-standing debate over its original purpose. Common theories regarding its purpose revolve around its ritualistic function.

Bernd Brueggemann – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only
Previously, research has suggested that Seahenge and Holme II were constructed to honor the death of an individual.
Others thought the monuments might have been used for sky burials, protecting the deceased as scavenger birds carried remains away.
However, a researcher named David Nance from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland believes that the monuments were erected as an offering to the gods to bring an end to the cold, harsh winters.
Based on archaeological context, environmental/climatic data, folklore in the region, and other evidence, all the information points to this conclusion.
According to Nance, the dating of the timbers revealed they were chopped down in the spring. Bitter cold temperatures occurred during the period in which the monuments were constructed.
Seahenge was also built to align with the sunrise on the summer solstice, indicating a link to a local myth about a young cuckoo, which is an ancient symbol of fertility and summer.
“This ritual is remembered in the ‘myth of the pent cuckoo’ where an unfledged cuckoo was placed into a thorn bush, and the bird was ‘walled-in’ to extend the summer, but it always flew away,” said Nance.
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