Despite Stonehenge find Malta’s temples still oldest oldest

An archaeological excavation has revealed that human beings occupied Stonehenge in 7,500BC not in 2,500BC, as was previously believed, but Malta’s prehistoric temples remain the oldest in the world. In a BBC programme, Flying Archaeologist, last night, Peter Rowley-Conwy, from Durham University, said: “Stonehenge has the potential to become one of the most important Mesolithic sites in northwestern Europe.” The discovery, a mile away from the world renowned stone circle, reveals evidence of the community that put up the “first” monument at Stonehenge. Carbon dating of material found on site show people were there from 7,500 to 4,700 BC. Anthony Bonanno, an archaeology professor at the University of Malta, said it was “highly interesting” that landscape archaeology revealed evidence of a community dating so far back. “The people living at that time would have been the ancestors of the people who subsequently built the Stonehenge stone circle around 2,500BC.” The archaeological dig, led by Open University archaeologist David Jacques, took place a mile from the Stonehenge stones in an area that was termed as an “archaeological blind spot” because it had never been noticed before.