Netherlands’ 4,000-year-old sanctuary tracked time
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Archaeologists in Tiel, Netherlands, uncovered a 4,000-year-old sanctuary resembling Stonehenge, but built with ditches, mounds, and wooden posts instead of stones.
The site, spanning four hectares, contained evidence of ritual activity including animal remains, human skulls, and valuable objects. Researchers determined the largest mound functioned as a sun calendar, aligning with the sun's position on important dates, suggesting people used it to track seasons and perform rituals.
Unlike Stonehenge, the Dutch sanctuary was built around three earthen burial mounds and included pathways for processions. Archaeologists found that the site was in use for around 800 to 900 years, from 1950 BC to 1200-1100 BC, and held the remains of over 80 individuals. They also discovered a glass bead originating from Mesopotamia, modern-day Iraq, indicating a far-reaching prehistoric exchange network.
Although the original sanctuary is no longer visible due to industrial development, artifacts from the site are now displayed at the Flipje and Streekmuseum in Tiel. Researchers believe this sanctuary, like others recently identified across Europe, played a role in connecting beliefs about life, death, and the cycles of nature to the agricultural calendar and spiritual practices of the people who built it.
