It’s one of the world’s enduring mysteries.

Now researchers have  a new theory about  the  origins of Stonehenge.

They say it may have begun as a giant burial  ground-  in 3,000 BC.

Excavated human remains  suggest that about 500 years before the site  we know today was built, an even  larger stone circle was erected at the same place  as a community graveyard.

Professor Mike Parker-Pearson from University College, London says it’s believed  the cremated remains were buried around 3,000 BC in an  earlier circle  which measured around 91 metres across and was larger than “the second Stonehenge” which is the monument still standing in the countryside in southern England today.

Various theories have been proposed about Stonehenge, including that  it was a place for Druid worship, an observatory for astronomical studies, or a place of healing, built by early inhabitants of Britain who roamed around with their herds.

The  study suggests that Stonehenge should be seen less as a temple of worship and more like  a kind of building project that served to unite people from across Britain who brought their  livestock and families for huge feasts and celebrations during the winter and summer solstices.