The remains of an "underwater Stonehenge" have been found by archaeologists 40 meters below the surface, in the waters of the Mediterranean Sea. The unusual discovery of man-made structures suggests to researchers that an unknown ancient civilization existed here, which was brought to an end by a massive flood.
Scientists near the coast of Sicily found a giant man-made boulder on the bottom. First speculations suggest that it could be a religious complex of a long-forgotten cult. The find is 12 meters high and broken into two parts. There are also 3 holes in the monument, including one running from one end to the other.
Preliminary findings date the age of the find to... over 10t thousands of years! The pair of researchers who made the discovery claim that it is clear evidence of significant human activity at the site. They say the area called Pantelleria Vecchia Bank in question was once an island located near the Strait of Sicily.
In their opinion, the found monument may be older than all the sunken cities, buildings, and places of worship that have been discovered so far.
Zvi Ben-Avraham. of the Department of Earth Sciences at Tel Aviv University and Emanuele Lodolo of the Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale (OGS) in Trieste say the find is irrefutable evidence throwing into the trash all the myths about primitive communities living in the area during the Middle Stone Age of the so-called Mesolithic.
"This find in the waters of the Strait of Sicily can significantly expand our knowledge of the early civilizations inhabiting the Mediterranean area, as well as the technological capabilities, development, and innovation of the people of the Mesolithic period." - write the researchers in a text to be published in the September issue of the Journal of Archaeological Society.
