Who Left 60,000-Ton Ancient Artifact Under the Sea

[Mr Jinx]

Who Or What Left This 60,000-Ton Ancient Artifact Under The Sea?

Shall we take bets on how the ancient-alien conspiracy theorists will spin this one?

Put on your tin-foil hats and special anti-Illuminati underwear. A recently discovered mysterious ancient rock structure under the Sea of Galilee, possibly built in the same era as Stonehenge, has archaeologists stumped. To a certain slice of the population, any unexplained man-made rock pile is clearly evidence of an extraterrestrial visit.

Before we get too carried away, let's look at the actual data. The researchers, from Ben-Gurion University, Tel Aviv University, University of Haifa and Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research, all in Israel, describe the cairn as a cone of unhewn basalt rocks, measuring approximately 70 meters in diameter and 10 meters tall. The site itself rests near a now-defunct ancient outlet of the Jordan River, an area that has had economic importance in the area since the Bronze Age. Due to various contextual details, the researchers suspect that the cairn was constructed sometime between the 4th and 3rd centuries BCE. Their findings were published in a recent issue of the International Journal of Nautical Archaeology.

Full Story - www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-04/underwater-mystery-mound-provokes-archaeologists

[Mr. Jon Donnis]

Definitely aliens

[cuthulu]

There are two clues that suggest an answer to this.
"a cone of unhewn basalt rocks" "The site itself rests near a now-defunct ancient outlet of the Jordan River"

The most likely explanation is Ships ballast.

There may once have been a trading port on the River Jordan. Ships collecting goods (grain for example) to export to other areas in the area will be laden and stable, However, if ships were returning unladen then the stability of the ship would be effected.

It is common for ships, now, as well as in the past, to fill an empty hold with ballast. Basalt rock not being an uncommon form of ballast. Before entering the port, or navigating the river the ships offload their ballast. It would not be unusual for there to be an accepted 'dumping point.' Thus the ballast accumulates over time at the same point on the sea bed.

Ships ballast is a likely explanation for this; and examples of this can be found near to ports all over the world.


Or, it was the aliens...

[Mr. Jon Donnis]

Thanks for that, all food for thought!
And welcome to the forum!!

[The Legendary Barb]

Welcome to the forum cuthula and what a good explanation you have given.

[The Legendary Barb]

Two minds think alike Jon. Spooky I calls it.

[Mr. Jon Donnis]

I still think its the aliens! Always the aliens