AMESBURY has been confirmed by the Guinness Book of Records to be the oldest continuous settlement in the United Kingdom.
Tests on animal bones found during an archaeological dig at Vespasian's Camp last October have shown that the parish has been occupied since 8820BC.
Archaeologist David Jacques of the University of Buckingham, who led the dig, said: “The site provides evidence for people staying put, clearing land, building, and presumably worshipping, monuments.
“The area was clearly a hub point for people to come to from many miles away, and in many ways was a forerunner for what later went on at Stonehenge itself.
“The first monuments at Stonehenge were built by these people. For years people have been asking ‘Why is Stonehenge where it is?’ “Now at last we have found the answers."
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