Posted on 04/18/2003 3:42:48 AM PDT by SteveH
Avebury Stone Is Found to Rival Stonehenge
By Stuart Coles, PA News
Archaeologists working at the ancient Avebury stone circle have been surprised to uncover what could be one of the largest standing stones in the country.
Experts at English Heritage and the National Trust say the stone could weigh in at 100 tons, rivalling the largest megaliths at its fellow site in Wiltshire, Stonehenge.
The surprise discovery was made during work at the 4,500 year-old stone circle to straighten two stones known as the Cove, which have begun to lean over the last 300 years and which it was feared might collapse.
The team from the Universities of Wales, Leicester and Southampton found the stone was buried much deeper beneath the ground than previously thought.
They found that one of the stones, which stands 14ft (4.4m) high above ground, exists at least 7ft (2.2 m) below the surface and could possibly go down to 10ft (3m).
Amanda Chadburn, Inspector of Ancient Monuments at English Heritage, which is the guardian of the stones, said: “We were amazed when we discovered that the stone went so much deeper than we expected. Ground penetrating radar and probing had suggested it existed to only about one-and-a-half to three feet below the surface. It is absolutely enormous and could weigh as much as the trilithon at Stonehenge.”
Although it was originally planned to bring both stones at the Cove to an upright position the investigations show that only the other stone, which is 16ft (4.9m) high above ground and predicted to exist to 1.25m below ground, requires straightening. The monster stone will now be left, as it is considered safe.
Rob Mimmack, property manager at Avebury for the National Trust, which owns the monument, said: “The stone is being fixed in the ground with lime concrete. Within two to three weeks we will be taking down the scaffolding and people will have access to the stones again for the first time since 1997 when they were fenced off for safety reasons.”
The recovery of preserved organic material from soil samples during the excavations will enable radiocarbon dates to be taken. For the first time the Cove will be able to be dated by modern methods.
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