Ancient Structure Underneath Sea of Galilee

Mysterious Structure- Beneath Sea of Galilee

Scientists discovered by accident a mysterious circular structure having a diameter greater than the length of a Boeing 747 jet which was found in 2003 beneath the Sea of Galilee in Israel. The Sea of Galilee shores located in the North of Israel have several numbers of significant archaeological sites and researches from the Tel Aviv University discovered the ancient structure which lay deep beneath the sea.

The findings were published ten years later by geophysicist Prof Shmuel Marco who informed CNN that they were surprised to see what seemed like a Bronze Age statue found on the ocean floor and speculated that this ancient piece of art could be a marine nursery.

The team also included TAU Profs Zvi Ben-Avrahan and Moshe Reshef, TAU alumni Dr Gideon Tibor of the Oceanographic & Limnological Research Institute. Several archaeologists believed that the structure was built on dry land around 6,000 years ago and then could have been submerged by water over a period of time.

Compared to Two Stonehenge 

According to Prof Marco, he considers it as an impressive feat since the stones comprising the structure were probably brought from a location of more than a mile and assembled in a specific structure plan. The structure seemed to be made of basalt and has been shaped like a cone, measuring around 70 metres at the base while the structure is 10 meters tall with an estimated weight of 54.5 million kilograms.

Its date is estimated to be between 2,000 to 12,000 years old which is determined on calculating the amount of sand which has accumulated over the base of the structure and on comparing similar structures. It could be compared to the size of two Stonehenge. Dr Yitzhak Paz of Antiquities Authority and Ben Gurion University stated that the site which detailed in the International Journal of Nautical Archaeology is similar to early burial sites in Europe and it could probably be built in the early Bronze Age. He was of the opinion that it could have been connected to the nearby ancient city of Beit Yerah, which is the largest and the fortified city in the area.

The Structure of Volcanic stones made of Basalt

The team of researchers who initially set out to investigate the origins of alluvium pebbles found in that area of the Sea believed that they were deposited there by the ancient Yavniel Creek, a precursor to the River Jordon and while using sonar technology at the time of survey at the bottom of the lake they came across the massive pile of stones lying in the midst of the smooth basin. Being curious on the unusual finding on their sonar, they planned to investigate further and a closer look revealed that their discovery was not just a random accumulation of stones but a built structure comprising of three foot long volcanic stones made from basalt.

The closest deposit of the stone is said to be more than a mile away and it was his belief that the same could have been brought to the site for the purpose of the structure. The researchers plan to organize a specialized underwater excavation to get to know more on the origins of the structure as well as investigate the surface of the structure on which it was built.

Search for artifact would help to accurately date the monument and provide clues to its purpose and reason for the structure. Moreover it would also throw some light on the geological history of the region.