--- title: Petra Ceremonial Monument Discovered by Archaeologists description: Archaeologists have used satellite imagery and drone photography to discover an enormous ceremonial platform near the center of Petra. canonical: https://time.com/4363081/petra-jordan-platform-discovered/ author: Julia Zorthian article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-06-09T18:18:45.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:55:29.244Z article:section: Science og:title: A Massive, Ancient Platform Has Been Discovered in Petra og:description: Archaeologists just published the discovery they made in Jordan og:url: https://time.com/4363081/petra-jordan-platform-discovered/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltac536e811508732b/69889723e20a8712fea912a1/jordan-petra-landmark.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Serenity Now LIttle Petra og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: A Massive, Ancient Platform Has Been Discovered in Petra twitter:description: Archaeologists just published the discovery they made in Jordan twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltac536e811508732b/69889723e20a8712fea912a1/jordan-petra-landmark.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 00:55 video:published: 2015-09-07 section: science topics: Stonehenge, superhenge, prehistoric monuments, archaeology, buried landscape, ancient Europe, remote sensing, Neolithic construction genre: news, science reporting tones: informative, curious, authoritative emotions: curiosity (medium), surprise (medium), interest (low) sentiment: neutral audience: science enthusiasts, history readers, archaeology followers, general news audience organizations: Stonehenge Hidden Landscape Project transcript_source: publisher captions transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # A Massive, Ancient Platform Discovered in Petra Has Been 'Hidden in Plain Sight' > Sponsored content. 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Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/newsletters?i=aa27c8b1-1e1a-4137-a6c3-6b50c7653801&cr=time-nl-futureproof-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Researchers Say Stonehenge Used to Have a Giant Neighbor [Watch (HLS stream): Researchers Say Stonehenge Used to Have a Giant Neighbor](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/piFxmAMU.m3u8) (0:55)  _Published 2015-09-07. Researchers in England just discovered a "superhenge" monument buried underground near Stonehenge._ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary Researchers with the Stonehenge Hidden Landscape Project have discovered a buried monument called a "superhenge" about a mile from the smaller Stonehenge. Using advanced technology to see beneath earthen banks, they found evidence of a row or fence of about 90 stones, some possibly up to 15 feet tall, with dozens still lying where they were pushed over. The find raises questions about the prehistoric landscape and its builders, and the team's leading prehistorian says prior writing about the area will need to be rewritten. ## Key points - Stonehenge may not have been the main attraction about 4500 years ago. (00:00) - Researchers with the Stonehenge Hidden Landscape Project discovered a superhenge monument in England. (00:03) - The superhenge would have stood about a mile away from the smaller Stonehenge. (00:09) - Researchers used the latest technology to look underneath the banks and see what they hide. (00:16) - Evidence suggests there was a row or fence of 90 stones, some of which could have stood 15 feet tall. (00:22) - At least 30 to 40 of the stones are still there, having been pushed over. (00:26) - A massive bank was placed on top of the buried monument. (00:33) - It is not yet clear whether the superhenge was built before or after Stonehenge. (00:41) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:16] Stonehenge's Buried Neighbor Discovered. Researchers announce the discovery of a superhenge monument about a mile from Stonehenge. - [00:16 to 00:33] Hidden Stones Revealed Beneath Banks. Advanced imaging revealed a row or fence of about 90 stones, many toppled and buried under a bank. - [00:33 to 00:55] Implications for Stonehenge Landscape. The find adds to knowledge of prehistoric Europe and may require rewriting prior accounts of the area. ## Key quotes - [00:00] interviewer: "Stonehenge might not have been the main attraction 4500 years ago." - [00:16] interviewer: "Using the latest technology Being able to look underneath the banks and see what they hide." - [00:47] the team's leading prehistorian: "everything written previously about the Stonehenge landscape and the ancient monuments within it will need to be rewritten." ## Questions this video answers - What new monument did researchers discover near Stonehenge? [00:03] - How far away from Stonehenge would the superhenge have stood? [00:09] - How was the buried monument detected? [00:16] - How many stones may have been in the superhenge, and how tall could some have been? [00:22] - Is it known whether the superhenge was built before or after Stonehenge? [00:41] - Why might previous writing about the Stonehenge landscape need to be revised? [00:47]  by [Julia Zorthian](https://time.com/author/julia-zorthian/)  ## Julia Zorthian Jun 9, 2016 6:18 PM UTC  The monastery in Petra, a world famous landmark in southern Jordan, on Feb. 23, 2016. The monastery in Petra, a world famous landmark in southern Jordan, on Feb. 23, 2016. Sam McNeil—AP  by [Julia Zorthian](https://time.com/author/julia-zorthian/)  ## Julia Zorthian Jun 9, 2016 6:18 PM UTC Archaeologists have used satellite imagery and drone photography [to discover an enormous ceremonial platform](http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/06/space-archaeology-satellite-petra-ancient-city-discovery-jordan-monument/) near the center of the ancient [city of Petra](http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2121571,00.html). Sarah Parcak and Christopher Tuttle published their finding in a [new report](http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5615/bullamerschoorie.375.0035) that reveals the monument that has been, as the paper is titled, hiding in plain sight. That is all the more impressive because of the platform’s size: at 184 by 161 feet, it’s roughly the length of an Olympic swimming pool (and twice the width), _National Geographic_ reports. “I’m sure that over the course of two centuries of research \[in Petra\], someone had to know \[this site\] was there, but it’s never been systematically studied or written up,” Tuttle told the magazine. “I’ve worked in Petra for 20 years, and I knew that something was there, but it’s certainly legitimate to call this a discovery.” Using the [aerial images](http://time.com/4073584/2016-world-monuments-watch-photos/), the archaeologists determined that a small building sat atop the platform. Petra, located in present-day Jordan, was founded around the second century B.C., and abandoned by the seventh century A.D. \[[_National Geographic_](http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/06/space-archaeology-satellite-petra-ancient-city-discovery-jordan-monument/)\] ## Transcript [00:00] Stonehenge might not have been the main attraction 4500 [00:03] years ago. In England, researchers with the Stonehenge [00:06] Hidden Landscape Project just discovered a super- henge [00:09] monument which would've stood just about a mile or so [00:12] away from the smaller Stonehenge. Using the latest [00:16] technology Being able to look underneath the banks and [00:19] see what they hide. The evidence suggests there used to [00:22] be a row or fence of 90 stones, some of which could have [00:26] stood 15 feet tall. At least 30 to 40 are still [00:30] there that have just been pushed over. And the massive [00:33] bank being placed on top of it. Besides adding the [00:35] knowledge of prehistoric Europe, the find raises important [00:38] questions about the landscape the monument builders [00:41] lived on. It's not clear yet if this super henge was built [00:44] before or after Stonehenge, but the team's leading [00:47] prehistorian said everything written previously about the [00:50] Stonehenge landscape and the ancient monuments within [00:53] it will need to be rewritten. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4363081/petra-jordan-platform-discovered/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4363081/petra-jordan-platform-discovered/"},"headline":"A Massive, Ancient Platform Discovered in Petra Has Been 'Hidden in Plain Sight'","datePublished":"2016-06-09T18:18:45.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:55:29.244Z","description":"Archaeologists just published the discovery they made in Jordan","url":"https://time.com/4363081/petra-jordan-platform-discovered/","keywords":["Archaeology","Travel"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltac536e811508732b/69889723e20a8712fea912a1/jordan-petra-landmark.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Julia Zorthian","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/julia-zorthian/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltac536e811508732b/69889723e20a8712fea912a1/jordan-petra-landmark.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Serenity Now LIttle Petra","caption":"The monastery in Petra, a world famous landmark in southern Jordan, Feb. 23, 2016.","creditText":"Sam McNeil—AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/tag/archaeology/","name":"Archaeology"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4363081/petra-jordan-platform-discovered/","name":"A Massive, Ancient Platform Discovered in Petra Has Been 'Hidden in Plain Sight'"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Researchers Say Stonehenge Used to Have a Giant Neighbor","description":"Researchers in England just discovered a \"superhenge\" monument buried underground near Stonehenge.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/piFxmAMU/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-09-07T14:32:40.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/piFxmAMU.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4363081/petra-jordan-platform-discovered/","duration":"PT55S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4363081/petra-jordan-platform-discovered/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```