Editing Cursus (section)

{{short description|Neolithic earthwork}}
{{about|the monumental Neolithic structures|the four-volume breviary|Liturgy of the Hours|other uses}}
[[File:Stonehenge-cursus-stukeley.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|A view of the Stonehenge Cursus , drawn by their documenter  and namer of the structures, William Stuckley in 1740]]
'''Cursuses''' are [[monument]]al [[Neolithic]] enclosure structures  comprising parallel banks with external [[ditch]]es or [[trench]]es. Found only in the islands of [[Great Britain]] and [[Ireland]],<ref>McOmish, 1999</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Loveday |first=Roy |date=September 2019 |title=Neolithic Fact-sheet 8, - Neolithic Cursus Monuments |url=https://www.prehistoricsociety.org/sites/prehistoricsociety.org/files/resources/ps-intros-neo-8-cursus-monuments.pdf |journal=The Prehistoric Society}}</ref> relics within them indicate that they were built between 3400 and 3000 BC, making them among the oldest monumental structures on the islands. The name 'cursus' was suggested in 1723 by the antiquarian [[William Stukeley]], who compared the Stonehenge cursus to a [[Roman circus|Roman chariot-racing track]], or [[Roman circus|circus]].<ref name="Colchester">''The Stour Valley: a Prehistoric Landscape''. Colchester Archaeological Group.</ref>

[[File:Stonehenge Cursus.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.1|[[Stonehenge Cursus]], Wiltshire]]
Cursuses range in length from {{convert|50|yd}} to almost {{convert|6|mi}}. The distance between the parallel earthworks can be up to {{convert|100|yd}}. Banks at the terminal ends enclose the cursus. Over fifty have been identified via [[aerial photography]] while many others have doubtless been obliterated by farming and other activities.<ref>Peter James and Nick Thorpe (November 1999). ''Ancient Mysteries''. pp. 316–319.</ref>

The [[Stonehenge Cursus]] is a notable example within sight of the more famous [[Stonehenge]] stone circle. Other examples are the four cursuses at [[Rudston]] in [[Yorkshire]], that at [[Fornham All Saints]] in [[Suffolk]], the Cleaven Dyke in [[Perthshire]] and the [[Dorset Cursus|Dorset cursus]].<ref>Champion, 2005</ref> The Bures cursus and the Metlands cursus are in [[Bures St Mary]], Suffolk, and were detected from [[cropmark]]s. They are situated just above the floodplain of the north bank of the [[River Stour, Suffolk]].<ref name="Colchester"/> On 21 December each year the sun rises over Lodge Hills, Wormingford, and shines down the length of the Metlands cursus.

In the summer of 2023 excavation began at a cursus discovered near Drumadoon in the [[Isle of Arran]] in 2019. It is believed to be the only complete example in Britain. Archaeologists from Glasgow University co-led by Dr Kenneth Brophy and local volunteers began excavating at the site in August. Brophy judged the Arran cursus the most significant he had seen in his career.<ref>{{cite news | title=Archaeologists uncover complete Neolithic cursus on the Isle of Arran | url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/sep/04/archaeologists-uncover-complete-neolithic-cursus-on-the-isle-of-arran | first=Libby | last=Brooks | work=[[The Guardian]] | date=4 September 2023 | access-date=3 Mar 2025}}</ref>