I visited the Seahenge exhibit at Kings Lynn museum recently then went on to look at the Time Team replica, and found it in a very sorry state. Some of the timbers seem to have fallen and may have been re-erected, a few are leaning, and there are distinct signs of burrowing insects - and of wood rot.

It makes me wonder whether the date given by archaeologists as the time of construction is correct. I take it as read that the year the trees were felled is 2049 BC, but it has always seemed strange to me that archaeologists are positive that the timbers were not seasoned, though there may have been some sap residue in one or more of the posts.

The state of the replica after some seventeen years makes me wonder if archaeologists may have been a shade too hasty in their conclusions.

The 84cm rod inserted into the perimeter, that I believe may have been the megalithic yard used at the site, had been stripped of its bark and apparently charred (dried out). The posts were not all similarly stripped of bark, but surely the builders were well acquainted with techniques for the preparation and use of timber.

Surely, the date could just as easily have been c. 2045 - 2040 BC, thus allowing time for the timbers to dry out for easier splitting. The construction process may also have spanned more than one season.

No further work was done at Seahenge, so it seems unlikely it was maintained, but the posts must have been set in place more securely than at the replica, and I have to assume they rotted at much the same rate.

Anyway, I'm sure there must be someone here who can tell me where my thinking has gone astray.