The wooden 'henge' rescued from the sea off the Norfolk coast
Seahenge
29 December 1999

In the spring of 2050 BCE, a huge oak tree was felled and its stump upturned and half-buried on a site near to what is now Holme-next-the-Sea in Norfolk. The following year, a number of smaller oaks were felled and cut into 56 posts, which were arranged in a circle around the central stump. The Bronze-Age monument, hailed by some modern archaeologists as among the most exciting ever discovered, could have formed some kind of ceremonial site, perhaps with special astronomical or other significance. Alternatively, it has been proposed that it could have been a place of 'excarnation', where bodies were laid out after death to hasten the process of decomposition and speed the spirit on its way to the afterlife.

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Both the circle and the people who built it were long forgotten before the land on which it stood became submerged by the sea. Its existence had vanished even from folk memory until, almost 4,000 years after its construction, the shifting sands off the East Anglian coast moved again to reveal its presence. 'Seahenge', as the monument was to become known, turned into a minor archaeological cause célèbre as Druids and modern-day pagans organised sit-in protests against English Heritage's decision to remove and preserve it.

Agreement was eventually reached over the future of the 'henge' and, in the summer of 1999, it was finally recorded and removed to the Flag Fen Bronze Age Centre, near Peterborough. There, as well as being preserved, the ancient timbers were subjected to detailed dendrochronology (tree-ring dating) and carbon-dating techniques. It was from these that such a precise date could be arrived at for the felling of the trees that make up the Seahenge circle. The tree rings gave three possible dates, which were narrowed down to just one – 2050 BCE – after statistical comparisons with a series of carbon dating tests. The time of year – between April and June – was obtained by an examination of the final growth ring of the main stump, which showed that the tree had been felled in the spring.

Time Team's visit to Seahenge helped cast some fresh light on the circle, the people who built it and the techniques they used. It included the construction of a modern replica, which it is hoped will be found a home in the area permanently. As the first Bronze-Age monument that has ever been precisely dated, Seahenge provided an exciting special venture for the Team.

Web resources

This website contains links to other websites which are not under the control of and are not maintained by Channel 4 Television. Channel 4 Television is not responsible for the content of these sites and does not necessarily endorse the material on them.

www.flagfen.freeserve.co.uk/index.html
The Flag Fen Laboratories, Bronze-Age site and visitor centre, near Peterborough, is where the main oak stump and posts from Seahenge are being preserved and studied (not yet on public display). This website provides further details of the centre, its excavation work and visitors' facilities. For example, Flag Fen's Visitor Centre houses the Museum of the Bronze Age containing artefacts found on site, including the oldest wheel in England on permanent display.

www.edp24.co.uk/content/features/
seahenge/seahengehome.asp
Useful site produced by Eastern Counties Newspapers with help from the Norfolk Archaeological Unit, providing a great deal of background information, including about the kind of people who might have constructed the circle, and a useful Q&A section. Not updated with latest details following the removal and study of the timbers, though.

http://druidry.org/obod/news/woodhenge.html
The Order of Druids' 'Woodhenge News' site has an extensive selection of press articles and public statements relating to Seahenge, as well as a few high-quality photographs.

Archaeoptics
www.archaeoptics.co.uk/gallery/casestudies/
heritage/seahenge/
The Archaeoptics website includes some of the 3D laser images of the Seahenge timbers they have been producing for English Heritage.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/
sci/tech/newsid_544000/544947.stm
The BBC has a number of news reports relating to Seahenge, including how it was dated to spring 2050. Its site includes a RealPlayer video report on the lifting of the timbers, audio interviews with Alex Bayliss of English Heritage on dating the timbers; and archaeologist Maisie Taylor describing preservation work at Flag Fen.

Further reading

Bronze Age Britain by Michael Parker Pearson (Batsford/English Heritage, 1996)
Based on the prehistoric evidence, as well as current research and debate, this book examines how life in Britain changed during the period 4000-900 BC. Illustrated with lots of maps, plans, reconstructions and photographs.

Flag Fen by Francis Pryor (Batsford/English Heritage, 1991)
Fascinating account of the discovery of this Bronze Age site. The Flag Fen Laboratories are where the Seahenge timbers are being studied and preserved. An exciting archaeological adventure story.

The Significance of Monuments by Richard Bradley (Routledge, 1998)
The author traces the history of Neolithic and Bronze-Age burial mounds, henges, stone circles and barrows since their first appearance 6,000 years or more ago. He provides insights into what they might have meant to and their role in the lives of prehistoric people in Europe.

The Seahenge Controversy

Never before has a Time Team programme been the focus of so much public interest and controversy as the special programme on the Seahenge timber circle, screened on 29 December. Here we provide the background to the debate that has been raging since the programme was shown, on the Time Team Forum and elsewhere.

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Back to the 2000 series page