For years, a lone stone standing in Farley Wood near the town of Matlock in Derbyshire was thought to be an isolated monument with nothing much around it. That changed after George Bird, a 24-year-old amateur archaeologist and student, kept wondering what else the surrounding forest might be hiding and pushed for a closer look. According to a statement from Forestry England, the government agency that manages the site, excavations carried out with the archaeology series Time Team have now confirmed that the stone was never alone at all. It turned out to be one part of a much larger Bronze Age ceremonial complex, complete with a stone circle and a ceremonial platform, and carbon dating has placed the site at around 1,700 BCE, making it roughly 3,700 years old and a significant addition to the record of ancient monuments hidden across England's forests. The discovery also suggests that much more prehistoric archaeology could remain hidden beneath Britain's managed woodland. Experts now believe similar forgotten monuments may lie scattered across other wooded landscapes nationwide, waiting to be rediscovered through renewed curiosity and modern survey techniques.
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