An ancient structure that may have served as an early “prototype” for the solstice alignment at Stonehenge was uncovered by a team from Wessex Archaeology, the organization announced in mid-June.

Located about five kilometers from Stonehenge, archaeologists have radiocarbon dated the site to approximately 5,000 years ago - around the time of the earliest phase of Stonehenge’s construction.

It was excavated as part of the British Defense Ministry’s Army Basing Program, ahead of construction of new accommodation for soldiers returning from Germany.

The site, believed to have likely served as a focus for religious gatherings, bears extensive evidence of feasting and large-scale gatherings.

Further, it shows that “ancient people were using this feat of astronomical engineering to celebrate the solstice here at least 500 years before the alignment of the stones at Stonehenge,” said Wessex Archaeology in its statement.

Discovered at the heart of the site are two pits, thought by researchers to have held two wooden poles standing 120 meters apart.

Analysis of the pits conducted by Wessex Archaeology showed that the alignment of the two poles would have formed a line pointing at the rising sun during the summer solstice and the setting sun during the winter solstice.

Leading skyscape archaeologist Dr. Fabio Silva used reconstructions of what the ancient sky, landscape, and horizon would have looked like to show how the structure would have aligned with the solstices to within 1 degree.

“This discovery helps us understand Stonehenge not as a singular creation, but as part of a much longer conversation between people, the land, and the sky,” Silva said. “The alignment shows that communities were already engaging with both the summer and winter solstices in the Stonehenge landscape, centuries before the sarsen stones were raised.”

“Rather than marking the beginning of a story, Stonehenge now more clearly appears to have emerged from traditions and practices with much deeper roots in this landscape.”

The site of the pits is not accessible to the general public.

“In a few days’ time, Stonehenge will be filled with people celebrating midsummer solstice. But what few will realize is that 5,000 years ago on a nearby hillside overlooking modern-day Bulford, people were doing the exact same thing – revering and celebrating the sunrise on midsummer’s day,” said lead archaeologist Dr. Phil Harding. “The sun was incredibly important to these prehistoric communities, and they could plot and record its midsummer rising to a high degree of accuracy.

“This discovery is probably one of the greatest finds of my career, and what makes it so important is just how early it is. Up till now, our knowledge of this ancient feat of astronomy was based on Stonehenge and other monuments of a similar period, but what we’ve discovered at Bulford is 500 years earlier than the famous stones we know so well. It makes me incredibly proud to be an archaeologist."

Dr. Matt Leivers, senior research manager at Wessex Archaeology, added that the discovery is “fundamental because it’s the earliest example of people building things here that aim directly at the solstice.”

“When we talk about the solstice, we’re talking about religion. About how prehistoric peoples understood the cosmos, the world, and their place in it,” Leivers said. “What we see at Bulford, and later at Stonehenge, is a way of celebrating and marking the passage of time, but it’s also about making sure the world keeps working as it should.”

“It’s likely their way of saying to their deities, please keep us in mind, keep us warm and safe. It’s a religious event. That’s why it’s so important.”