It turned out what used to be at the site of Stonehenge and what ancient people did there

Long before Neolithic people built the stones of Stonehenge, the hunter-gatherers of the Mesolithic or

The Middle Stone Age often visited this place, using it as a hunting ground. Farmers and construction workers later moved into the region, a new study says.

Earlier studies showed that beforeSince Stonehenge was built, the surrounding landscape included closed-canopy forest. “There has been long-standing debate as to whether the monumental archeology of Stonehenge was created in an uninhabited forested landscape or in an already partially open area previously inhabited by late Mesolithic hunter-gatherers,” the authors note.

New research shows that this areawas historically open forest, once grazed by large herbivores such as the aurochs, an extinct species of cattle. The scientists said that given the high visitation of the site, it was likely that there was continuity between Mesolithic hunter-gatherers and Neolithic or New Stone Age monument builders.

In other words, it's not that Stonehenge's builders suddenly "discovered" the site for the first time; rather, it appears that people have known about this place for centuries.

The early form of Stonehenge was built around 5000 years ago, while the famous stone circle, which still stands today, was assembled during the late Neolithic period, around 2500 BC, according to English Heritage. Salisbury Plain, the plateau on which the monument is located, was considered sacred territory by ancient people and contains evidence of buildings dating back more than 10,000 years.

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