Secrets of the sands

• Seahenge was heralded as one of the greatest discoveries of the late 20th Century. Analysing its axe marks showed that society was more advanced than had been previously believed 4,000 years ago, because metal tools had become common place.

• 15 years after the wooden ring and its central upturned oak stump were removed from the peat bed which had preserved them, at Holme-next-the-Sea, scientists have now confirmed a second circle found nearby was linked to Seahenge.

• 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.

• Other finds were played down by officials after Seahenge was removed, to discourage people from venturing onto areas of the beach where terns breed and flocks of waders feed in winter.

• At least one other circle has appeared from time to time as the sands have uncovered it, before disappearing again with the next storm tide.

• Seahenge is thought to have been a free standing timber circle, possibly built to mark the death of an individual, symbolising their passing to another world. The second circle nearby could be what remains of a burial mound.

• Dr Clive Bond, from the West Norfolk and King’s Lynn Archaeological Society, said: “This function, often referred to in anthropological circles as ‘sky burial’ and practiced by Buddhist monks in Nepal, involves exposure of a body or body parts to the elements, so birds and perceived spirits can take the soul of the departed to the next life.