Archaeologists have uncovered an unknown stone circle that dates back at least 4,000 years to the Late Neolithic or Early Bronze Age and was most likely used for ritual activities.
The discovery was made near the Giant's Ring, just outside Belfast, during a community archaeology excavation led by Brian Sloan from Queen's University.
The site came to the team's attention after they saw aerial photography highlighting several crop marks that extended farther than previously thought.
Sloan, who works in the School of Natural and Built Environment at Queen's, explains, "In the 1990s, Queen's archaeologist Barrie Hartwell uncovered a "Neolithic Temple' at the Giant's Ring. This included a large timber circle with an internal excarnation platform. It is believed that this was used for processing dead bodies.
"We came across aerial photography of the area and noticed a number of crop marks in the field, which suggested the Ballynahatty Ritual Complex extended further than we first thought.
