Mysterious Stone Structure in Israel Discovered Beneath Waters of the Sea of Galilee

A mysterious stone structure has been discovered beneath the waters of the Sea of Galilee in Israel. Weighing an estimated 60,000 tons, the human-made monument has puzzled archaeologists as to its purpose.

The structure was first found during the summer of 2003, when it was detected during a sonar survey of the southwest portion of the sea. Divers then investigated the location, taking note of how large the pile of stones was and what the construction pattern was like.

"Close inspection by scuba diving revealed that the structure is made of basalt boulders up to one meter long with no apparent construction pattern," write the researchers in their journal article. "The boulders have natural faces with no signs of cutting or chiseling. Similarly, we did not find any sign of arrangement or walls that delineate this structure."

More than likely, the massive human-constructed pile of stones is a cairn, which is a pile of stones used to mark stone-age burial sites. The rocks were hauled to the site over land and placed near the Sea of Galilee. Eventually, the water rose and submerged the structure.

Exactly what this cairn was used for and why it was built is still a mystery, though. Currently, researchers are trying to find associated artifacts to determine the structure's date and purpose. However, the scientists do have some theories about when it was built.

Yitzhak Paz, a researcher at the Israel Antiquities Authority, believes that the cairn could date back more than 4,000 years, according to LiveScience.

"The more logical possibility is that it belongs to the third millennium B.C., because there are other megalithic phenomena [from that time] that are found close by," said Paz in an interview with LiveScience.

In particular, the monumental site of Khirbet Beteiha can be found about 20 miles north-east of the structure within the Sea of Galilee. Created from three concentric stone circles, it's dated to the Early Bronze Age and is one of the largest sites in the region.

More research needs to be conducted before any conclusions are drawn. However, the site does present a new opportunity for researchers to understand the ancient history of the region, and possibly unearth artifacts from a distant time.

The findings are published in the International Journal of Nautical Archaeology.