Ancient Dutch ‘Stonehenge’ Found After 4,000 Years

Dutch archeologists have made an incredible discovery – an archeological site that served as a religious burial ground and a solar calendar. This remarkable find has been dubbed the “Stonehenge of the Netherlands.”

The announcement of this discovery was made by researchers who excavated the site between 2017 and 2018. Described as a “sanctuary,” the location includes a burial mound and ditches that align with the sun during the summer and winter solstices, similar to the famous Stonehenge in the United Kingdom. The excavation yielded approximately a million objects, some of which date back to the Stone Age.

The municipality of Tiel, where the site was found, expressed their excitement on Facebook, stating, “What a spectacular archaeological discovery! Archaeologists have found a 4,000-year-old religious sanctuary on an industrial site. This is the first time a site like this has been discovered in the Netherlands.”

The sanctuary spanned an area equivalent to four soccer fields and was constructed using wood and soil. It featured multiple mounds, cemeteries, wooden posts, and a ceremonial road. The largest mound is believed to have housed the solar calendar, which was used to determine important events and harvest days. The site was also used for rituals, with rows of poles lining the pathways for processions. The large mound likely served as an observation point, and all three mounds were utilized for approximately 800 years.

According to a spokesman, “A person, such as a priest or priestess, stood on the hill, which had a flat top and a large pole. The priest would observe the position of the sun from this fixed point, aided by other posts as markers. These markers helped determine the exact time of the year. On certain days, the sun would shine directly through the passages on the hill, similar to how the sun shines through the stones at Stonehenge on important days.”

During the excavation, archeologists discovered human skulls, animal remains, a spearhead, and other valuable items in the openings where the sun shines through the mount. Several graves were also found, including one with a woman buried alongside the oldest bead ever discovered in the country. This glass bead, originating from Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq), suggests that the people at the site had contact with groups over 3,000 miles away.

Stijn Arnoldussen, a professor at the University of Groningen, described the bead as a “spectacular item” since glass was not produced locally during that time. The analysis of all the artifacts found at the site took researchers six years. These items, ranging from the Stone Age to the Middle Ages, including the Bronze Age, Iron Age, and Roman Empire, are expected to be displayed for the public to see.

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