Archaeology & History

Underwater 'Stonehenge' found off Sicily coast

By T.K. Randall
August 7, 2015

Image: Stonehenge, Wiltshire
Credit: Udit Kapoor / CC BY-SA 4.0 (adapted) Found at a depth of 131ft in an area that was once an island in the Sicilian Channel, the unknown stone structure is broken in to two parts and is thought to date back at least 10,000 years.

It was built by the people who once inhabited the region before floods radically altered the entire Mediterranean Basin around 9,500 years ago following the Last Glacial Maximum.

Underwater 'Stonehenge' Monolith Found Off Coast of Sicily: http://t.co/JXwwGsftKX pic.twitter.com/4bxNbGETON

— Discovery News (@DNews) August 7, 2015

"This discovery reveals the technological innovation and development achieved by the Mesolithic inhabitants in the Sicilian Channel region," said archaeologist Emanuele Lodolo."Such an effort undoubtedly reveals important technical skills and great engineering."

It isn't clear exactly why the monolith was built or whether it belonged to a larger structure however researchers believe that it may have had a practical, rather than spiritual significance.

"It could have been some sort of a lighthouse or an anchoring system, for example," said Lodolo.

Source: Discovery News

Tags: Sicily, Stone, Monolith