Britain’s Oldest Circular Monument: How Flagstones May Have Inspired Stonehenge!

Recent archaeological discoveries have rewritten the timeline of Neolithic Britain, revealing that the Flagstones monument near Dorchester, Dorset, is the earliest known circular enclosure in the country. Cutting-edge radiocarbon dating now places its construction at around 3200 BCE—making it roughly 200 years older than previously thought. These findings, published in Antiquity by researchers from the University of Exeter and Historic England, offer fresh insights into the evolution of monumental architecture in prehistoric Britain.

Photo Credit: Jennie Anderson/PA

A Monument Hidden Beneath a Bypass

Flagstones was first uncovered in the 1980s during construction of the Dorchester bypass. This impressive structure features a perfectly circular ditch, originally made up of interlocking pits, likely accompanied by an earthwork bank. Measuring approximately 100 metres in diameter, half of the monument now lies beneath the bypass, while the other half rests under Max Gate—the former home of novelist Thomas Hardy, now managed by the National Trust.

Archaeologists have unearthed several significant finds at the site, including human remains, red deer antlers, and charcoal, which were subjected to radiocarbon analysis at ETH Zürich and the University of Groningen. The results indicate that the earliest activity at the site, including pit-digging, began around 3650 BCE, but the circular enclosure itself was built centuries later, around 3200 BCE. Soon after its construction, burials were placed within its pits, suggesting an important ceremonial function.

Could Flagstones Have Influenced Stonehenge?

One of the most intriguing aspects of this discovery is its potential connection to Stonehenge. The earliest phase of Stonehenge, dating to around 2900 BCE, features a circular ditch and burial practices strikingly similar to those at Flagstones. This has led experts to speculate that Flagstones may have directly influenced the design of Stonehenge.

“The chronology of Flagstones is essential for understanding the sequence of ceremonial and funerary monuments in Britain,” explains Dr Susan Greaney, an expert in Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments at the University of Exeter. “Could Stonehenge have been inspired by Flagstones? Or do these findings suggest that our current dating of Stonehenge needs to be reconsidered?”

Flagstones also bears similarities to other Neolithic sites, including Llandygái ‘Henge’ A in Gwynedd, Wales, and several sites in Ireland. These parallels suggest that Neolithic communities across Britain and Ireland shared common architectural traditions and burial customs, reinforcing the idea of widespread cultural exchanges.

Photo Credit: Smith et al.1997: fig. 22; figure by Susan Greaney)

A Place of Ceremony and Burial

The precise role of Flagstones in Neolithic society remains a subject of debate, but the evidence suggests it was used for more than just burials. At least four individuals were interred within its pits—three uncremated children and one cremated adult—along with three partial cremations elsewhere. Intriguingly, about a thousand years later, a young adult male was buried beneath a large sarsen stone at the monument’s centre, indicating that the site remained significant long after its initial construction.

Similar patterns of long-term use have been identified at Stonehenge, where archaeologists have uncovered at least 64 cremations, with evidence suggesting that up to 150 individuals may have been buried there. This supports the theory that such circular enclosures served as multi-purpose ceremonial centres rather than solely as burial grounds.

Redefining Neolithic Britain

The discovery that Flagstones predates Stonehenge challenges long-held assumptions about the origins of monumental architecture in Britain. While Stonehenge is often seen as the pinnacle of Neolithic construction, Flagstones may represent an earlier stage in the tradition of circular enclosures. This research highlights how interconnected Neolithic societies were, sharing architectural styles and ritual practices across vast distances.

As archaeologists continue to investigate these ancient structures, we may yet uncover further links between Britain’s earliest monuments, reshaping our understanding of prehistoric life and the communities that built these extraordinary sites.