Stonehenge's underwater sister: Second timber circle uncovered off Norwich coast may have been a burial mound for Bronze Age leaders

The timber circle was discovered in Holme-next-the-Sea in Norwich

It is the second Bronze Age structure found in the east coast region

Archaeological tests have revealed the timber dates back to 2049 BC

The first circle, uncovered in 1998, was dubbed Seahenge

Experts claim the upturned stump was used as a final resting place



His or her body would have been able to break down in the open air

Axe marks on ancient discoveries offer clues to how builders used tools

Norfolk has once again been shown to be a treasure trove of archaeological finds after a second timber circle was uncovered off its coast.

The Bronze Age wooden structure was first discovered in the late 1990s on the beach by Holme-next-to-Sea, and tests have now revealed it dates back to the summer of 2049 BC.

That’s the same year as the timber used to build the original Seahenge circle, discovered in Norfolk in 1998 was felled.



A second timber circle has been uncovered (pictured), 15 years after the first, dubbed Seahenge, was found along the Norfolk coast. The Bronze Age timber circle has been tested by archaeologists and dates to the summer of 2049 BC. Experts believe the upturned stump was a final resting place for an important person

Specifically, research by Norfolk County Council’s historic environment team has confirmed that Seahenge’s sister circle was made from trees felled in the spring or summer of 2049BC.



Heralded as one of the greatest discoveries of the late 20th century, the iconic timber circle of Seahenge, also known as Holme I, sparked controversy when it was discovered, over whether it should be dug up and preserved for posterity, or left where it was.



The timbers came from a circle 21ft (6.6m) in diameter, comprising 55 closely-fitted oak posts, each originally up to (10ft (3 metres) in length.



This latest find looks similar to the original circle, and features two oak logs laid flat at its centre, surrounded by posts.



The two circles, before Holme I was removed, were approx. 100m apart.

Where seen, Holme II timbers were, in 2004, around 2.5ft (0.76 metres long), with the top 50 per cent eroded and damaged.

The diameter of circle, was around 42ft (13 metres) and the monument once had two central logs, with two posts to the east and two to the west.



These were surrounded by a central wooden oval made from 15 posts and two courses of hurdling.



To the east of this was an inner arc of at least 16 timbers, and beyond this was an outer oval with a maximum diameter of 42ft (13 metres) comprising at least 65 timbers set edge to edge.

TIMBER CIRCLES: THE SECRETS OF THE SEA

The timber circle discovered in 1998 was dubbed Seahenge after Stonehenge in Wiltshire.

Dating techniques revealed the circle was built around 2049BC.

Its discovery was heralded as one of the greatest finds of the late 20th century, and analysis of axe markings revealed metal tools were used earlier than first thought. The wooden ring (pictured right) and its central upturned oak stump were removed from the peat bed in Holme-next-the-Sea and taken to the local Lynn Museum. Archaeologists have now confirmed a second circle found nearby was linked to Seahenge. While Seahenge is thought to have been built to mark the death of an important individual, the second circle nearby could be the remains of a burial mound. Experts believe the upturned stump was used as the final resting place of an important person, where his or her body would be allowed to break down in the open air - a practice known as 'sky burial' and used by monks in Nepal.

Dating has confirmed that the second circle was built at the same time as the first, and it is thought there may be others hidden under the sea.



It has led archaeologists to again question why ancient people built the mysterious oak circles, during the early Bronze Age.

David Robertson, historic environment officer with Norfolk County Council, said: ‘The felling date on them is the spring or early summer of 2049 BC .

‘Those trees were felled at exactly the same time. Having one was fantastic - and having two just adds to the story.



‘We have to try to understand not just why they were built, but what were they used for.’

One theory is that the upturned stump was the final resting place of an important person after death, where his or her body would be allowed to break down in the open air.

The second circle could have been the burial place, or mound, where the wooden posts acted as a revetment, or sloping structures, into which soil was placed on top of the body.

The Holme timber circle discovered in 1998 was dubbed Seahenge (pictured) after Stonehenge in Wiltshire. Its discovery was heralded as one of the greatest finds of the late 20th century, and analysis of axe markings on the wood revealed metal tools were used earlier than first thought

Both circles were uncovered in Holme-next-to-Sea near Old Hunstanton in Norwich, Norfolk (pictured). Holme is the only place in the UK where prehistoric timbers have been found and it is believed the tree used to make the two circles was felled at the same time

NORFOLK'S HERITAGE

The second timber circle is the latest find in a string of discoveries that have highlighted Norfolk's place in archaeological history.

A Paleolithic hand-axe was found embedded in clay at Happisburgh by a dog-walker in 2000.

It was dated to 700,000 BC, and pushed back the known origins of early human occupation in Stone Age Britain. The earliest evidence of human footprints outside Africa - some 850,000 years old - were then discovered at Happisburgh in May 2013. Described as 'the most important discovery on British shores', the footprints were found in the coastal town after being exposed by sea tides.

Scientists said in February that the footprints are evidence of the earliest known humans in northern Europe, previously only revealed through the discovery of animal bones and stone tools.

The project means that the two timber circles are the only ones in the country to have been dated precisely using dendrochronology.

Controversy erupted when scientists began digging up Seahenge after it was discovered in 1998.

Protesters clashed with archaeologists as the 55 posts and central stump were taken away to be preserved, before eventually going on display at Lynn Museum in King’s Lynn.

Tree ring dating, or dendrochronology tests, were carried out on samples from the second circle last summer.

While the results confirm it was almost certainly built by the same people as Seahenge, Robertson said the second structure would not be excavated.

‘Since 1999 it’s been visible at some times and covered by the sand at other times,’ he said.



‘There are no plans to dig it up.

‘It’s been decided with the second circle to let nature take its course. Over the years, the sea has claimed parts of the structure.'

Erosion and the loss of its timbers prompted the dating project, the results of which are expected to be published soon.



The significance of the find, and the positioning of the wooden stumps resemble those seen at Stonehenge, in Wiltshire (pictured), which led to the timber circle getting its Seahenge nickname

Controversy erupted when scientists began digging up Seahenge after it was discovered in 1998. Protesters clashed with archaeologists as the 55 posts and central stump were taken away to be preserved, before eventually going on display at Lynn Museum in King's Lynn (pictured)

It is the latest find in a string of discoveries which have put the East Anglian county on the archaeological map.

A Paleolithic hand-axe, found embedded in clay at Happisburgh by a dog-walker in 2000, was dated to 700,000 BC - which pushed back the known origins of early human occupation in Stone Age Britain.

And the earliest evidence of human footprints outside Africa - some 850,000 years old - were discovered at Happisburgh in May 2013.

A separate study by British researchers in February found nearly one-million-year-old footprints of modern human ancestors in estuary mud in Norfolk





