A mysterious stone circle 1000 years older than Stonehenge was recently found in the Sahara desert.
Nabta is the oldest astronomical megalith alignment discovered to date. It measures 12ft in diameter, and is located west of the Nile River in southern Egypt. The site consists of a stone circle, a series of flat, tomb-like stone structures and five lines of standing and toppled megaliths.
It is believed to be a purely symbolic and ceremonial site. Some of the nine feet high stone slabs have been dragged to the site from a distance of a mile or more. Clearly a lot of effort was put into the building of this structure. Nomads still used the site until about 4800 years ago, but then the area became hyper-acidic and uninhabitable.
The layout of the stones seems to suggest a symbolic geometry that integrated death, water and the sun. There is a wealth of cultural debris to be found at this site, including carved and decorated ostrich eggshells. It is believed that the complex and symbolic Nabta culture could have encouraged the growth of the society who constructed the very first pyramids along the Nile River, about 4500 years ago.
The Nabta culture may also have been a trigger for the complex social structure in Egypt, that later led to the dynasties of the pharaohs. The site was only discovered a few years ago, and there are still a few unanswered questions surrounding the mysterious circle in the desert.
(Source)
Nabta is the oldest astronomical megalith alignment discovered to date. It measures 12ft in diameter, and is located west of the Nile River in southern Egypt. The site consists of a stone circle, a series of flat, tomb-like stone structures and five lines of standing and toppled megaliths.
It is believed to be a purely symbolic and ceremonial site. Some of the nine feet high stone slabs have been dragged to the site from a distance of a mile or more. Clearly a lot of effort was put into the building of this structure. Nomads still used the site until about 4800 years ago, but then the area became hyper-acidic and uninhabitable.
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| Oldest Astronomical Megalith Alignment Discovered In Southern Egypt By Science Team Click here to view the Original Image Size |
The layout of the stones seems to suggest a symbolic geometry that integrated death, water and the sun. There is a wealth of cultural debris to be found at this site, including carved and decorated ostrich eggshells. It is believed that the complex and symbolic Nabta culture could have encouraged the growth of the society who constructed the very first pyramids along the Nile River, about 4500 years ago.
The Nabta culture may also have been a trigger for the complex social structure in Egypt, that later led to the dynasties of the pharaohs. The site was only discovered a few years ago, and there are still a few unanswered questions surrounding the mysterious circle in the desert.
(Source)
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