Archaeologists believe the earliest parts of the Rujm el-Hiri stone circle in the Golan Heights were developed more than 6,000 years earlier. (Image credit: Samion Buchas through Shutterstock)
An ancient and enigmatic stone circle in the Middle East might not be an ancient huge observatory after all, according to a brand-new research study of satellite images. Some of the criticisms might be misdirected, a specialist on ancient astronomy informed Live Science.
Archaeologists believe the earliest parts of Rujm el-Hiri (which indicates “Heap of Stones of the Wildcat” in Arabic) were developed more than 6,000 years earlier. The website remains in the challenged Golan Heights area, which is declared by both Israel and Syria.
Some earlier examinations proposed that spaces in the stone circle lined up with huge occasions, such as the summertime and winter season solstices– the quickest and longest nights, respectively– and the monolith has actually been compared to England's Stonehenge.
The brand-new research study's geomagnetic analysis and tectonic restoration suggest that the whole landscape around Rujm el-Hiri and the neighboring Sea of Galilee has actually moved over time, according to the research study released Nov. 14 in the journal Remote Sensing.
“The Rujm el-Hiri's area moved from its initial position for 10s of meters for the countless years of the item's presence,” the authors composed– a finding that raises concerns about whether it worked as an ancient huge observatory.
Related: ‘Everything we discovered shattered our expectations': Archaeologists find 1st huge observatory from ancient Egypt
Astronomer E.C. Krupp, director of the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, informed Live Science that the dislocation was not measured in the brand-new research study, so it might not figure out whether Rujm el-Hiri when revealed huge positionings.
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New research study recommends the whole landscape consisting of the ancient stone circle has actually turned and moved geologically considering that Rujm el-Hiri was constructed. (Image credit: Samion Buchas through Shutterstock)The ancient stones of Rujm el-Hiri
Research study lead author Olga Khabarova, an area physicist at Tel Aviv University in Israel, informed Live Science that the scientists had actually utilized satellite photos to study Rujm el-Hiri and the surrounding landscape– a specifically beneficial approach in remote areas or in politically delicate areas like the Golan Heights.
The research study exposed that Rujm el-Hiri was simply among countless ancient structures that had actually been integrated in the area, consisting of circular structures; enclosures with stone walls that appear to have actually been utilized for farming; and “tumuli,” mounds that might have been utilized for burials, homes or storage.
The ancient stone circle remains in the Golan Heights, which was inhabited by Israel throughout the Six-Day War in 1967, however the area is still declared by Syria. It includes a number of concentric circles, the biggest of which has to do with 500 feet (150 meters) throughout, that are made from stacks of basalt stones that still withstand 8 feet (2.5 m) high.
