Ancient sites in Dartmoor share features with Stonehenge

Nine megalithic sites in a remote part of Dartmoor (England), share features in common with Stonehenge, and may shed light on the meaning behind these prehistoric stone monuments, according to a report in the latest issue of British Archaeology.

The Dartmoor megaliths were recently carbon-dated to around 3500 BCE, which could predate Stonehenge, and both sites feature large standing stones that are aligned to mark the rising of the midsummer sun and the setting of the midwinter sun.

The Dartmoor stones, described in a separate study in the journal Antiquity, are now lying flat, having fallen over. (Or were they pushed?)The examination of peat above and the below the stones enabled the carbon dating, which is extremely rare for such monuments.