Burgenland is located in the most easterly part of Austria and remains, even today, a very sparsely populated area. Until now it had been believed that the area was first settled around 3,300 BCE with the arrival of Indo-European peoples and then more permanently settled by the Celts around 500 BCE. But now a team of archaeologists, lead by Klaus Locker, have uncovered the remains of a large henge, dating back to 5,000 BCE.
     The circular complex comprises concentric circular trenches - some up to four metres deep - with defensive walls and several entrances. The large circular area is located in a field on the southern outskirts of Rechnitz, and was surrounded by wooden poles. It was only after aerial photographs were taken of the district that remnants of an ancient trench system became visible.
     The find has proved to be unique in the area and one of the archaeologists, Franz Sauer, is quoted as saying that the henge is "roughly equivalent to Stonehenge, only about 2,000 years older!"

Edited from The Local (17 July 2014)