The remains of a city two miles from Stonehenge were uncovered using digital mapping by researchers from the University of Birmingham and the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Archaeological Prospection and Virtual Archaeology.

The investigation took four years and is part of a larger project called the Stonehenge Hidden Landscapes Project.

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The site contained 17 religious monuments, a massive burial mound and a timber building which researchers believe was used to cut the flesh from corpses before they were buried.

Most of the monuments uncovered have blended into the landscape so much so they've become unnoticeable to the untrained eye or, as the researchers said, they've become "terra incognita."

"The rituals included exposure of the dead bodies, and defleshing on a large forecourt," said Wolfgang Neuber of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute.

People who used to live in the city also dug up huge pits, which the scientists theorize were made to align with the stars.

The presence of ale pots also suggests the ancient residents of the locale drank beer.

Many of the discoveries uncovered were concentrated around the 4.500-year old Durrington Henge, which was believed to have been used primarily for feasts.

Project leader Professor Vincent Gaffney, from the University of Birmingham, stated, "This [study] is going to change how we view Stonehenge. It is not yet another find from Stonehenge, it's a fundamental step forward in the way we understand it."

Aside from digital mapping, researchers had to use other instruments to uncover the secrets of Stonehenge, including, magnetometers, ground-penetrating radar arrays, lasers and electromagnetic sensors.

Gaffney stated the findings prove Stonehenge was not as isolated as was once thought, but rather, it was the center of a complex made up of ritualistic monuments gathered around it.

Researcher said that up to this day, Stonehenge continues to attract people from different parts of the country who create their own temples and shrines around it.

"It's truly impressive, and you get some feeling for how processional activities affected people," Gaffney said.

The Stonehenge project will be featured in a new BBC2 series, "Operation Stonehenge: What Lies Beneath."