Underground map uncovers secrets of Stonehenge

In a significant find, a team of archaeologists has discovered nearly 60 stones or pillars under the famous pre-historic monument Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England.

By creating a detailed map of the earth beneath Stonehenge, that took four years, archaeologists found that underground stones formed part of the 1.5 km-wide "super henge", BBC reported.

The findings suggest that each buried stone is roughly three metres long and 1.5 metres wide and is positioned horizontally and not vertically.

"For the past four years, we have been looking at this amazing monument to try and see what was around it," professor Vincent Gaffney from the University of Birmingham was quoted as saying.

Researchers used six different techniques to scan the whole site at different depths below the surface.

Amongst their instruments was a magnetometer, a ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and a 3D laser scanner, the report added.

The archaeologists also discovered around 20 ritual pits.

One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is the remains of a ring of standing stones.

It is in the middle of the most dense complex of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments in England including several hundred burial mounds.

Archaeologists believe it was built anywhere from 3000 BC to 2000 BC.

Radiocarbon dating in 2008 suggests that the first stones were raised between 2400 and 2200 BC.