A stone structure found recently under Lake Michigan, believed to be 9,000 years old, has left most scientists and historians in a fix over its origin. This archaeological wonder, which is said to resemble England’s Stonehenge, was discovered in 2007 and is still causing controversy.
Unlike other archaeological discoveries, this submerged wonder provides few answers about who constructed it and for what. It now stands as an enigma, as a question of whether or not the ancients were at some level more technologically sophisticated than we are today.
Researchers unveil an astonishing underwater structure beneath Lake Michigan
A team of researchers from Northwestern Michigan College discovered the stone arrangement. Dr. Mark Holley is an underwater archaeology professor surveying the lake bottom near Traverse City. At forty feet, they discovered a circular formation of large stones, some measuring up to 3,000 pounds.
At first, the researchers were unsure what they were dealing with. However, a closer look showed that these stones had been arranged circularly, and some featured carvings believed to represent prehistoric animals, such as the mastodon, which is related to the elephant.
The positioning and design of the artefacts suggest that there was design and evidence of societies that existed in North America that are not known to the modern world. As was said before the discovery of the stones, several hypotheses were made that could explain the primary intention of the natives behind the creation of these stones.
Dr. John O’Shea from the University of Michigan believes that the stones served as a drive lane to direct large animals to the specific area where they could be killed, a practice characteristic of prehistoric cultures. This theory states that these stones were used for this purpose by the norms of the ancient hunting tribes of North America.
Some think it was used for ritual activity because, according to some Native American tribes, including the Anishinaabe, stones are alive and possess a spiritual significance.
Local legends intertwine with scientific findings, adding to the mystery
The feature that the stones have carvings, such as the mastodon, adds puzzlement and controversies regarding the site. The mastodon became extinct about 10,000 years ago, so those who made the carvings lived with it or received information from their ancestors.
Indigenous people of the local area consider it as sacred stones put there by their forefathers to pay their respect to the Earth and all living creatures. Elder Hank from the Anishinaabe people said that the rocks are evidence of the Anishinaabe people’s aboriginal presence in the area. Therefore, the lake is a sacred site, not a mere archaeological one.
Promising technologies may unlock the secrets of this underwater enigma
This underwater stone circle raises considerable difficulty for archaeologists, but future development of tools can offer new ways of decoding it. With the help of stereo photogrammetry, the scientists obtained a digital model of the site, which they can use to study the spatial distribution of the objects and the patterns on them.
This method allows the researchers to gather evidence that could provide more information on the intended purpose of the builders. These advancements are still promising, and, unfortunately, studying submerged sites is still expensive and time-consuming, so it may take years or even decades to reveal the truth about Lake Michigan Stonehenge.
A significant finding that challenges our understanding of ancient cultures
The discovery of the Lake Michigan Stonehenge raises questions to conventional knowledge about the prehistoric people and their abilities. Similar structures were described in America, such as the rock pillars in Lake Huron that were most probably used as hunting grounds.
These formations, together with the site at Lake Michigan, indicate that the early inhabitants had a profound knowledge of their surroundings and possibly socialized over large distances.
To this day, scientists have no idea where the stones used for the construction of the circle were sourced or why they were placed on the banks of Lake Michigan in the first place, but with technology developing at that rate, the mystery of Stonehenge’s equivalent in America may be unveiled in several years of prehistoric North American peoples.
