Structure in Stonehenge damaged due to tunnel work

A 6,000-year-old structure located near Stonehenge was damaged due to tunnel works according to archaeologists.

Archaeologists state that Highways of England, that were conducting preparatory works for a tunnel, drilled a 3-meter hole in the ancient structure that is located about 2,4 km from the famous monument. However, Highways England claimed that they are not aware of any damage caused by their works on the site. 

The ancient platform preserved the hoof prints of massive prehistoric animals called aurochs. David Jacques, leader of the archaeological team and senior research fellow at the University of Buckingham, stated: "This is a travesty. We took great care to excavate this platform and the aurochs' hoofprints. We believe hunters considered this area to be a sacred place even before Stonehenge. These monster cows – double the size of normal cattle – provided food for 300 people, so were revered."

Underground construction was selected earlier in 2018 as a way to avoid the historic monuments and link the 2 parts of the site that remain cut off for decades. At that time, archaeologists were concerned about the water table level. A tunnel may cause the water table to drop damaging the monuments that were preserved in the saturated ground. To resolve the issue, Highways Agency agreed to monitor the water level. "It the tunnel goes ahead the water table will drop and all the organic remains will be destroyed. It may be that there are footprints here which would be the earliest tangible signs of life at Stonehenge. If the remains aren't preserved, we may never be able to understand why Stonehenge was built," Mr. Jacques said.