Neolithic Henge Fest

BBC News: Stonehenge builders' houses found.

A huge ancient settlement used by the people who built Stonehenge has been found, archaeologists have said.  Excavations at Durrington Walls, near the legendary Salisbury Plain monument, uncovered remains of ancient houses.  People seem to have occupied the sites seasonally, using them for ritual feasting and funeral ceremonies.  In ancient times, this settlement would have housed hundreds of people, making it the largest Neolithic village ever found in Britain.  The dwellings date back to 2,600-2,500 BC - according to the researchers, the same period that Stonehenge was built.

There are houses that show evidence of being used part-time, as if people came to Stonehenge for a festival, partied, feasted, and left, leaving rubbish behind.  Other houses are cleaner, and could have been for community leaders.

I remember driving past Stonehenge on the way back from Salisbury where we'd been picking out bridesmaid outfits for two of Paul's nieces.  It was late afternoon, the henge was on a hill in a meadow, and the car, a 30 year old Morris Minor, died just as we passed it.  Hubby went to the nearest farmhouse to phone for help, and the AA (Automobile Association, not Alcoholics Anonymous) got us back on the road with a replacement part, but it was a bit spooky.