Stonehenge area was inhabited thousands of years before it was built

Researchers have claimed that even though the ancient monument of Stonehenge dates back to between 2500 BC and 3000 BC, people had already been living in the area for millennia when it was built.

Artifacts from what is now Amesbury, the nearest settlement to Stonehenge, dated to 8820 BC.

According to the BBC, it's been inhabited ever since, making it Britain's oldest settlement, something the Guinness Book of Records has now officially recognized.

The year was established after burnt flints and large animal bones were unearthed; they point to feasts held there, Smithsonian reported.

Researcher David Jacques said that the site blows the lid off the Neolithic Revolution in a number of ways, adding that it provides evidence of "people staying put, clearing land, building, and presumably worshiping, monuments."

Experts had believed the stones were erected by European immigrants, but in fact the area was a hub for people in the region, Jacques added.