Archeologists Discover Rare Henge-Like Monument in Southern Spain

Madrid — A team of investigators from the German university of Tubingen on Tuesday announced the discovery of a henge-like monument close to the town of Carmona in the southern Spanish province of Seville.

The monument consists of a series of concentric rings made up of trenches and ridges, which investigators believe were “maybe used for rituals.”

The discovery covers an area of around six hectares and has been dated to between 2,200 and 2,600 BC, meaning it is around 4,500 years old and is thought to have had some kind of religious or social significance.

Excavation director Elizabeth Comlin told Spanish state TV network RTVE that it was a “singular and spectacular” discovery which formed part of a series of discoveries showing the region had been inhabited in the Neolithic era as far back as 6,000 years BC, roughly 2,000 years after the end of the last ice age.

Comlin explained that monuments such as the one discovered in Carmona are usually seen north of the Alpes, but that it is “very rare for one to be done in Spain which is so large and so perfect. ”

She explained the rings were relatively recent when compared with similar monuments in northern Europe and added that was accompanied with findings of “bones and objects of jewelry,” all of which were dated to between 2,200 and 2,600 years BC. (PNA/Xinhua) JMC/EBP