Ancient British Religious Monument Uncovered At Maxey Near Peterborough

Dr Francis Pryor explains the evidence of a Neolithic religious site.

Scenes of a Neolithic religious site being uncovered by archaeologists given short-term access to a quarry at Maxey, Cambridgeshire. The site pre-dates Stonehenge and has been dubbed “Posthenge”. It consists of rows of ditches, pits and post holes. To indicate the original structure or this open air church, the archaeologists have placed seven telegraph poles in the significant post holes, one bearing a skull with antlers. The site was discovered a month previously after traces were identified in an aerial photograph. Now it has been revealed as one of the best preserved sites of its kind ever discovered, as it was protected beneath layers of river flood clay. Bones of one human have been discovered, but the site it is not known to have been inhabited, and there is no evidence for human sacrifice. Archaeologist Dr Francis Pryor says that the site represents the beginning of organised religion in the UK. The site was set aside for religious and ceremonial purposes and was apart from everyday life as no people were living there. Dr Pryor describes the complicated arrangement of posts around one central large post, and three concentric ditches traversed by a circle of large pits dug at various times. Brief view of finds from the site which will be displayed at the British Museum. The archaeological site will soon be destroyed to allow extension of the quarry. This video was made to be shown in a news story on Anglia Television early evening news / magazine programme About Anglia.

Keywords

Archaeology; Neolithic sites; Religion

Additional Description

Rescue archaeology before gravel workings began revealed details of a large henge in Maxey. Discovered from aerial photographs in 1956 by J. K. St Joseph and last excavated by Francis Pryor in 1979-1981, the henge was 126 metres in diameter, one of the largest known. It was part of an entire landscape of Neolithic features, including a cursus and barrows. Along with the large and mysterious ritual village at nearby Etton, this collection of sites has featured in Pryor's writing about large-scale ritual landscapes. Wikipedia