Huge ritual arena discovered near Stonehenge

I don't know. I am not totally sure of course, but there are rather significant examples where it was discovered that past civilizations were far more advanced than they were given credit for based on the scraps that were the most obvious evidence and remains. I am sure that certain events like invading hordes and economic / ecological collapses have destroyed way more than humanity has achieved. 5 steps forward 4 steps back. Jut take the invasion of the Americas as a rather perfect example, it is now seen as a type of progress, but all the skill, knowledge, and capacity of the Mesoamerican cultures was totally and utterly vanquished and had to essentially be restarted by the people that came to the Americas. Who knows what all was lost. Just imagine what all was lost when the Library of Alexandria burned, I believe that single event set back humanity at least 1,000 years if not more considering opportunity cost and compounding advances. Imagine if humanity had discovered electricity and computation 1,000 years ago.

You say that as if Stonehenge had no practical worth to them, but a calendar to know when to plant crops and such is rather important if you rely on that to survive winter.

http://acko.net/files/gltalks/pixelfactory/online.html#0

So many people get distracted by all the silly ritual nonsense that they give ancient people too little credit.

What do you consider superstitious? The great pyramids of the pharaoh? Buckingham Palace? The White House?

Law, government, fork lift operator licences, Belgium... These are all made up things, they're not real. Our big and little ceremonies, charms and other bits of magic help make the illusion solid.

Well, some of our own practices are quite spooky. Consider all the boneyards and catacombs in France and I wonder what people will think about it in a few thousand years...

> where defleshing was performed as a burial ritual

yes ... as a "burial" ritual ...