There's a new theory about Seahenge

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A.� Indeed. The Bronze Age ritual circle discovered off the Norfolk coast is now believed to have been built by a Scandinavian tribe building a gateway to next world.< xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

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Q.� What is Seahenge

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Q.� Was it part of something bigger

A.� Four millenniums ago, the site would have been well inland. Seaheange was probably part of a collection of burial mounds, shrines and monuments - a visiting place for families who obeyed the rule of ancestors.

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Q.� Built by

A.� Francis Pryor, director of the Flag Fen archaeology centre, believes it was built by the Saami people from Finland - Nordic invaders who came to Britain long before the Vikings.

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Q.� And the upturned tree An altar

A.� No. Pryor thinks the Saami held a prehistoric belief in a parallel, upside-down universe. 'It's a world that is an exact mirror image of our world: they thought there were people below their feet mimicking or mirroring their day-to-day activities,' he said. 'What they saw as transferring life from our plane to their plane was to cut down a tree and then bury it upside down. The life forces of the tree would then be transferred from this world to the next.'

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Q.� Hmm. Interesting theory. What about the archaeological evidence

A.� Carbon-dating shows that the trees forming Seahenge were cut in the spring of 2049 BC. The central stump was put up first, then a 22ft circle of timber with a narrow entrance. The posts were about 12ft high.

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Q.� What sort of tools would they have used

A.� This is one of the most impressive discoveries. Archaeologists found fresh-looking marks made by metal tools on the timbers. These are the earliest found marks in Britain, and appear only 100 years after it is thought bronze was first smelted and sharpened. At least 38 axes were used on the timbers, say the experts.

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Q.� And how - big question - will Seahenge be preserved

A.� A huge question indeed. The site is of immense archaeological value. Inspection showed that the tide was scouring away the remains, so English Heritage experts decided to dig up the posts and investigate further before they were destroyed by the elements.

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Q.� And that was criticised

A.� Not half. The decision proved unpopular not only with the community and conservationists, but also with druids who said it was the destruction of a spiritual site. It ended with confrontations between druids, pagans and archaeologists. Police were called to keep the peace and English Heritage decided to transfer the timbers to Flag Fen archaeological centre near Peterborough.

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Q.� And there it has stayed

A.� Yes - but a public meeting of villagers voted overwhelmingly to rebury the relics near the original site. The archaeologists insist upon conserving the monument.

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Q.� So how is that being decided

A.� It's in deadlock. The public, however, may be able see Seahenge soon ... or a high-tech representation any way. English Heritage has made a 3-D laser scan of each timber and is creating animated reconstructions that will be made available soon on the internet. So we shall be able to log in to some very interesting old logs.

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Steve Cunningham