• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content

Home> News

Published 20:19 18 Apr 2023 GMT+1

One of oldest monuments in the world sits on UK council estate

It's as ancient as Stonehenge and the Pyramids

Amelia Jones

Amelia Jones

While you might expect a phone box to be the oldest relic sitting on a UK council estate, it turns out that one estate has one of the world's oldest stone monuments right next to it.

The single megalith - meaning a large stone that has been used to construct a prehistoric structure or monument - is made from grey sandstone and stands at nearly 7ft tall.

Because it's not in a museum or hallowed site, the only clue hinting at its historic status are the railings that surround it to protect it from would-be vandals.

Advert

The megalith is almost 7ft tall.
SWNS

And this megalith, which is as old as Stonehenge or the Pyramids, is just sat next to a block of flats in a cul-de-sac on Ravenswood Avenue, Edinburgh.

Illustrations from the 19th century show the megalith standing alone in fields near Edinburgh.

It remained untouched on its original site until it was moved in the early 1800s to facilitate road widening in the developing area.

By the 1960s, it was moved again as the new housing estate began to take shape. It currently stands around 100 metres north of its original position.

Advert

Some theorise that the ancient stone was put in place to commemorate an ancient battle that we no longer have a record of, but a lot remains unknown about the badly weathered relic.

But it isn't the only one.

In fact, it's one of several megaliths found dotted around the area - but it's the only one found on a housing estate.

It was moved in the recent past to make way for urban development.
SWNS

The standing stone is a scheduled monument.

Advert

A spokesman for Historic Environment Scotland saying: "The monument is of national importance as an icon of prehistoric ritual, albeit in a modern urban setting.

"Although the stone no longer has any archaeological potential, it is a monument with cultural significance, capable of speaking to a modern urban population, and worthy of legal protection in its present setting."

And researchers have also stumbled upon another discovery at Vindolanda, a Roman fort south of Hadrian's Wall in northern England.

The relic dates back to the time of Stonehenge.
SWNS.

Excavations indicate the area was under Roman occupation from roughly 85 AD to 370 AD, and it was while working there in 1992, that researchers came across a wooden object around 6.2 inches in length.

Advert

The object, carved from ash, had been honed by humans to create a long, smooth shaft and an unmistakeable tip, bringing a whole new meaning to the term 'wood'.

Yep, you guessed it, experts from the University of Cambridge have recently revisited the find and concluded that it could have been used as a sex toy or to ward off evil back in the day.

Let's not think about the splinters though.

Featured Image Credit: SWNS

Topics: News, UK News

Amelia Jones
Amelia Jones

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

2 hours ago
3 hours ago
4 hours ago
  • 2 hours ago

    Man horrified to discover his new home is actually someone else's Airbnb

    Ben Echianu, from Manchester, branded the woman whom he believes posed as a landlord as 'heartless'

    News
  • 3 hours ago

    Christian Horner releases statement after being sacked by Red Bull after 20 years

    Horner shared a lengthy statement on social media

    News
  • 4 hours ago

    Donald Trump shuts down reporter who asked Jeffrey Epstein question following release of CCTV footage

    It seems the US President deems the topic to be no longer up for discussion

    News
  • 4 hours ago

    Cardiologist who had heart attack warns people to not 'make same mistake' over little-known warning sign

    The irony isn't lost on Dr William Wilson

    News
  • Locals furious as thousands of swingers head to village for 'Britain's biggest sex festival'
  • Dan Bilzerian explains the ‘secret’ to having sex nine times in one day
  • YouTuber Tana Mongeau admits ‘biggest regret’ is turning down £10 million to star in adult movie
  • Couple rents £1,000 private jet to join the mile-high club