Today, the UK is full of fascinating relics from ancient times. Since ancient times when these islands were inhabited by different peoples and cultures of tribes from ancient Europe, people shared many fascinating beliefs and lived in wonderful symbiosis with nature. surrounding nature. From passage tombs and burial mounds to megaliths, the iconic Stonehenge and now ‘Seahenge’, these ruins from a bygone era remain an important link to life. the lives of all our ancestors. They are the thread that connects the past and the present – a real passage that takes us back in time.
But such a discovery defied all odds and survived the tireless beatings of time for several thousand years. This discovery is special due to the fact that it was not made of stone – but of wood! Today we bring you the story of one of the UK’s most mysterious ancient monuments – the so-called Seahenge. Join us as we penetrate the veil of time to discover the true purpose of this fascinating wooden ring.
Origin of Seahenge and its discovery
The picturesque little village of Holme-next-the-Sea is located in the English county of Norfolk, nestled right on the coast. At first glance, it’s like all Norfolk villages – warm and cozy, charming with its rustic and rural charm. This is a seaside village that perfectly captures the nature and wildlife, found in the marshes of England and the North Sea. But a remarkable discovery in 1998 woke the village up from its lull and caused waves in the British and global archaeological community.
Old Hunstanton beach, where Seahenge was found, at low tide in Norfolk, UK. (Andrews/Adobe shares)
In early spring of that year, an amateur archaeologist named John Lorimer was casually shrimping on the beach near Holme with his brother-in-law. These Norfolk beaches in the North Sea have a distinct appearance and low tides can provide the opportunity for some interesting sightings. And that’s exactly what happened to Mr. Lorimer, because he found not a shrimp – but a Bronze Age ax head. It was the second such ax head found on that beach in the space of just a few months, and Lorimer recognized the fact that it was no coincidence. So he kept returning to Holme Beach in the hope of making more discoveries, but what he eventually found was completely unexpected.
Emerging from the sand washed away by the waves is an overturned tree stump. The first guess is reasonable – an Anglo-Saxon fish trap, not unusual in this area. But as the tide receded, more and more details began to emerge from the sand. What was seen was astonishing and quite unique – a wooden circle with a giant tree stump pointing up in the middle. The importance was quickly realized and experts were soon on the scene.
Unique Bronze Age monument
What is the real purpose of this wooden circle? Who built it? Well, research has confirmed that the so-called Seahenge is definitely old. Really, really, really old. It dates back to the Bronze Age and was built around 2049 BC. With accurate research and dating of wood samples, scientists can determine 2049 BC as the date the tree was cut down.
Seahenge at dusk, after some of the wood had been removed by archaeologists for testing and preservation. (Historical England)
The wooden circle consists of 55 sawn oak tree trunks, carefully arranged in a circle and measures approximately 7 by 6 meters (23 by 20 feet). The tree trunks are cut in half lengthwise and arranged so that the round side with the bark faces outward and the flat side faces in – only one trunk is placed upside down. The reason for this is unknown and it is most likely done on purpose.
It is deduced that only one of these trunks has an entrance to the circle, as it has a narrow Y-shaped fork in the passage. In front of this gap is another chest, preventing anyone from looking in. siege. Because the wooden panels have been around for a long time, they have eroded a lot and it is unknown how tall they were originally. Inside the circle is the iconic tree stump – upside down, with the roots branching upward.
Ancient beliefs – What is the purpose of Seahenge?
But what is the purpose of this wooden enclosure? Since its discovery, Seahenge has puzzled scientists and given rise to many theories, all of which are entirely possible. One thing is certain – its ceremonial purpose. Some scholars agree that Seahenge is directly related to burial customs in Bronze Age Britain.
It is thought that the enclosure was used for excavations. This is an ancient funeral custom in which the flesh is removed from the body – similar to the modern Tibetan Sky Burial tradition. It appears that the deceased were placed on upturned tree stumps, where they were exposed to the weather and birds of prey. Ancient native peoples in Britain may have believed in the soul continuing to live on after the flesh disappeared and returning to nature. All around them were the remains of mortals eaten and scattered by birds of prey.
Scholars believe that reincarnation was most commonly performed on women and children, as there is a wide variation in archaeologically excavated Bronze Age skeletons, which remains of men. much more common than the remains of women and children.
Another possible role of Seahenge was ceremonial. There is great symbolism in this wooden circle arrangement. Some say it symbolizes the boundary between life and death, between the mortal world and the afterlife. Because it was located near the sea, it is believed that the Bronze Age people believed that the sea was the edge of the world, with the realm of the dead lying beyond their shores and on the distant horizons.
However, we cannot know the answer for sure, as time has surely washed away Seahenge’s original purpose. However, it can be easily inferred that it was of great importance to the people of this region and its symbolism is proof of this.
Seahenge has given scholars and scientists some important insights into the lives of Bronze Age people living in Britain. Thanks to the level of preservation of the tree trunks, a lot was learned through experimentation. The tree trunk still has traces of being carved and narrowed to a point. Research shows that this was done with around 30 to 40 bronze axes, all of which came from the Cornwall area. It is clear that the ancient inhabitants of modern Norfolk were certainly engaged in trade with their neighboring tribes and that they had to travel quite some distance to obtain their bronze tools.
A 4000-year-old bronze ax head found in Sweden shows what the axes used to build Seahenge might have looked like. (Swedish Museum of History, Stockholm / CC BY 2.0)
A less plausible and less logical theory is that the workforce was in fact from Cornwall. Other research has helped scientists pinpoint the time of construction, when the trees were cut down, to late spring or early summer 2049 BC, all on the same day. This tells us that it was an important event that was planned and must have involved a large number of people, perhaps as many as 50 people. This is another important insight into past societies. It shows that strong communities existed around this time and that large-scale constructions were familiar to them.
When it comes to the area surrounding Seahenge, details are much scarcer. In 2049 BC, the area looked a little different and the henge was located on a salt marsh, also known as a tidal marsh. Over time, it became a freshwater wetland and this ecosystem allowed plants to grow. As these decayed over the centuries, they became a layer of peat that covered the flats. Over time, the sea also changed, and the peat layers were covered with sand and salt water, helping to preserve what remained. Therefore, we can deduce that it was originally built further inland, but the area became the current beach over many millennia.
Although few excavations may have been carried out in the vicinity of Seahenge, they have yielded some interesting discoveries. Archaeologists have not been able to find any documents from the earliest use of henge, but discoveries of Middle to Late Bronze Age pottery shards tell us that the site had a period of prominent use, several centuries after it was built.
Destroy or preserve? – A conflict appears
When Seahenge was officially discovered in 1998, although it was a monumental find, it still caused a bit of controversy, leading to conflicts between several stakeholders soon after the initial discovery. Seahenge itself was only named in 1998 and had no previous name, although it was somewhat known to locals, who had known of its existence for a long time. And when scientists and archaeologists began proper excavations, many voices of opposition arose.
View of Seahenge a few months after its discovery, by which time archaeologists had removed some of the wooden stakes and carved a section out of the central “altar”, which consisted of an upside-down oak tree trunk. (Esk Image/CC BY-NC 2.0)
First are the locals. They wish to retain the remains of the wooden circle and display it locally – in the hope of attracting tourists to their area and bringing back a piece of heritage to their village. Then there are the modern ‘Druids’ and ‘Neopagans’. They firmly objected to the disturbance of the remains and wanted them to remain in place and untouched, to avoid sacrilege.
Protesters considered the dismantling of Seahenge a desecration of an ancient sacred site and deployed security guards to prevent archaeologists from further damaging the site. (Esk Image/CC BY-NC 2.0)
Over time, they launched a proper publicity campaign against scientists who wanted to remove the remaining ruins and have them preserved and displayed in museums. Ultimately, the team obtained a high court injunction, preventing several key protesters from accessing the site.
The media quickly reported the discovery and the conflict, and the news quickly spread. The wooden circle was quickly dubbed “Stonehenge of the Sea”, “Stonehenge Below the Sea” and “Stonehenge’s Underwater Sister”. As a result, it eventually received the name Seahenge, although it most likely was not a monster.
Pictures of Stonehenge are famous for showing the comparison. (Albo/Adobe Stock)
Wildlife authorities have also joined the debate with their own complaints, claiming that the number of visitors to the site is increasing – about 5000 of them in the first year after being discovered – has disturbed the area’s wildlife, especially cranes.
The area is part of the Holme Dunes National Nature Reserve. Publicity reached an all-time high in 1999, when Channel 4’s popular history program Time Team screened a documentary special about Seahenge and the legal battle over its excavation. It.
After Seahenge was found exposed in peat, tourists from all over came to see this ancient site for themselves. (Esk Image/CC BY-NC 2.0)
In the end, English Heritage’s excavator team had the last word and completely removed Seahenge from its original location – albeit under the watchful eye of many gathered protesters, the media and the police force. At the climax of the excavation, when the majestic tree stump was being pulled out, a distressed young female protester rushed through the security perimeter and police force to stop the excavation. Ultimately, she was subdued and removed from the site.
What happened to Seahenge?
The remains of Seahenge were transported to a Fenland Archaeological Trust field center at Flag Fen, in Cambridgeshire. There, they are preserved by soaking in fresh water and undergoing thorough cleaning, scanning, processing, and further preservation.
A very interesting and unique preservation method was applied, in particular, the remains were continuously soaked for many years in water emulsified with wax. This results in the moisture that has accumulated in the wood over the centuries being replaced by wax. Finally, the entire ruins of Seahenge were successfully preserved for posterity and kept. A copy was displayed at the King’s Lynn Museum in King’s Lynn in 2008.
A link to connect the ages
Seahenge is not the only discovery of its kind in Britain. Just a hundred meters east of Seahenge, another double wooden circle was discovered, although smaller and less preserved. But it is a clear sign that these wooden enclosures were a very important ceremonial tradition for the indigenous people of Bronze Age Britain, especially in East Anglia.
Sites like these are a real archaeological treasure and one of the most important links to Europe’s Bronze Age culture. They show us images of a past long gone, of lives deeply attuned to the world around them and of people who believed in things deeper and more mysterious than we could dare to admit. go out. And time no longer threatens their survival – they are immortal.
