Wilsford Henge facts for kids
 Location in Wiltshire
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| Location | Wilsford, Wiltshire |
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| Coordinates | 51°18′54″N 1°52′04″W / 51.31496°N 1.86787°W |
| Type | Henge |
| History | |
| Periods | Neolithic |
Wilsford Henge is an ancient site from the Neolithic period, also known as the New Stone Age. It's located west of the village of Wilsford, Wiltshire in the United Kingdom. This special place is a type of monument called a henge.
Archaeologists first found Wilsford Henge by looking at cropmarks in photos taken from airplanes. Cropmarks are patterns in fields where plants grow differently because of things buried underground. The henge is in an area called the Vale of Pewsey, not far from another, much larger henge called Marden Henge.
What is Wilsford Henge?
Wilsford Henge is mainly a wide, circular ditch that you can only see from the air as a cropmark. It sits on a gentle slope about 500 meters (about 1,640 feet) south of the River Avon.
The inside of the circular area is about 43 meters (about 141 feet) across. The outside edge of the ditch is about 62 meters (about 203 feet) across. It has an entrance that is 12 meters (about 39 feet) wide, facing northeast towards the river.
Scientists have used special tools to look underground without digging. This geophysical survey showed that there might be an inner circle of pits where wooden posts once stood. About 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) to the north-northwest, on the other side of the river, is the much bigger Marden Henge.
Discoveries at Wilsford Henge
Archaeologists from the University of Reading started studying the Pewsey Vale area, including Wilsford Henge, in 2015. Their work lasted for three years.
One exciting find from the 2015 digs was a burial from the early Bronze Age. This was the time after the Stone Age, when people started using bronze. The burial was of a young person, found in a "crouched" position, meaning they were buried with their knees bent towards their chest.
Along with the burial, archaeologists found pieces of beaker pottery. Beaker pottery is a type of clay pot known for its bell shape. They also found a collection of beads that might have been part of a necklace.
In the same field, close to the henge, archaeologists also found signs of a large Roman farm settlement. They have uncovered the outline of a big farm building or barn from the Roman period, which came much later than the Bronze Age.
