Archaeologists discover Stonehenge was once a full circle

(Image credit: Matt Cardy/Stringer/Getty Images)

last updated 8 January 2015

This summer's weather patterns have just yielded the answer to a centuries-old question: Archaeologists can now say with certainty that Stonehenge was once a full circle.

Historians have speculated whether or not the Neolithic stones at Stonehenge were purposely left incomplete. But a recent dry spell, coupled with sheer chance, revealed the faint outline of the missing stones. While stewards normally water the grounds with a hose, the one they used this year was apparently just a little too short to reach the inner circle of stones, and this extra drying allowed for the discovery.

Susan Greaney of English Heritage, England's Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission, told The Telegraph that the finding was "really significant" and may not have occurred with an adequate hose. "It shows us just how much we still have to learn about Stonehenge," she said.