Innovative ancient burial site found to be older than Stonehenge

New research reveals Flagstones in Dorset dates to 3,200 years BC and sheds new light on the origins of monumental architecture during the Neolithic period

Archaeological research conducted on the prehistoric Dorset burial site known as Flagstones has revealed that it is the earliest known large circular enclosure in Britain.

The monument, located near Dorchester, has been redated to about 3,200 years BC – approximately two centuries earlier than previously thought – thanks to advanced radiocarbon analysis of some of the finds discovered there, including human remains, red deer antlers and charcoal.

The analysis suggests that Flagstones may have served as a prototype for later monuments like Stonehenge.

Findings from this collaborative research by the University of Exeter and Historic England, have been published in the latest edition of the journal Antiquity.

“Flagstones is an unusual monument; a perfectly circular ditched enclosure, with burials and cremations associated with it,” says Dr Susan Greaney, a specialist in Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments, in Exeter’s Department of Archaeology and History. “In some respects, it looks like monuments that come earlier, which we call causewayed enclosures, and in others, it looks a bit like things that come later that we call henges. But we didn’t know where it sat between these types of monuments – and the revised chronology places it in an earlier period than we expected.”

Flagstones was discovered in the 1980s during the construction of the Dorchester bypass, with excavations revealing it was formed of a 100m diameter circular ditch made of intersecting pits, probably an earthwork bank. Today, half of the site lies beneath the bypass, with the remainder located beneath Max Gate, Thomas Hardy’s former home, now bequeathed to the National Trust. Flagstones is a scheduled monument with finds and excavation archives preserved at Dorset Museum.

At least four burials were found to have been placed in the enclosure pits – a cremated adult and three children who had not been cremated – and there were three further partial cremations of adults elsewhere. The similarity of this site to the first phase of Stonehenge, dated to around 2900 BC, led to the assumption that Flagstones must be of a similar date.

The new scientific dating programme, led by Dr Greaney and Dr Peter Marshall, formerly Scientific Dating Co-Ordinator at Historic England, involved collaboration with laboratories at ETH Zürich and the University of Groningen, who provided 23 new radiocarbon measurements.

Combining the radiocarbon dates with archaeological information revealed that early Neolithic activity, including the digging of pits, took place around 3650 BC. After a gap of many centuries, the circular ditched enclosure was created around 3200 BC, with burials placed within it immediately afterwards. Intriguingly, a later burial of a young adult male under a large sarsen stone at the centre of the enclosure occurred around 1,000 years or so after its initial use.

“The chronology of Flagstones is essential for understanding the changing sequence of ceremonial and funeral monuments in Britain,” said Dr Greaney. “The ‘sister’ monument to Flagstones is Stonehenge, whose first phase is almost identical, but it dates to around 2900 BC. Could Stonehenge have been a copy of Flagstones? Or do these findings suggest our current dating of Stonehenge might need revision?”

Flagstones also reveals connections to other significant sites, including Llandygái ‘Henge’ A in Gwynedd, Wales, and even locations in Ireland, as implied by artefacts and burial practices. The findings highlight the interconnectedness of Neolithic communities across Britain and beyond.

Beginning of the circle? Revised chronologies for Flagstones and Alington Avenue, Dorchester, Dorset is published in Antiquity, by Cambridge University Press.