Middle Bronze Age burials SE of Stonehenge

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In winter 2015-2016 Historic England undertook excavations in the Stonehenge World Heritage Site to address the imbalance in knowledge of the WHS south of the A303 in comparison to north of the road. One excavation targeted a major Middle Bronze Age linear ditch c.1km south-east of Stonehenge, part of a widespread phase of land division in the area at this time. In the ditch we found two adult male individuals, buried shortly after its construction, perhaps to mark the association of their community with the newly divided landscape. They had no grave goods, but radiocarbon dating shows that they died c. 1450-1300 BC. We excavated the individuals one at a time to minimise their exposure to bad weather, but this composite allows both to be seen together. Using two sets of photographs, HE’s Geospatial Imaging team built a model of the two individuals, providing insights into the burials that will contribute to our ongoing scientific analysis. Full open-access publication will follow later this year.