Much of what we know about ancient cultures today comes from the pictures and written documents left behind. In some cases, artifacts can leave clues as to who the people were that created ancient monuments that are now ruins, but in other instances, there are more questions than answers. Historians, archaeologists, and geologists have many theories about the ruins on this list, but they are just that: theories. These ancient ruins most hold more questions than answers and in some cases, experts are not even certain that they are man-made.
Lake Michigan Stonehenge
In 2007, Mark Holley was scanning the floor of Lake Michigan in search of shipwrecks. Instead he found what some have dubbed to be the Lake Michigan Stonehenge. 40 feet below the surface are large stones arranged in a circular formation. There is very little known about who built this structure and why it was built. The location of the site has been kept secret in order to follow the wishes of the Traverse Bay American Indian community who seek to preserve the site.
The stones may not look remarkable, but they are almost perfectly aligned with each other. If they were placed by humans, then the circular rock formation would have to date back between 6,000 and 10,000 years. It was 6,000 years ago that this area of Lake Michigan was dry and served as a home for hunter-gatherers. The reason why some suggest the rock formation may be older than 6,000 years has to do with what was discovered on one of the outer rings of the rock circle.
Divers found carved into a large block of granite a petroglyph that looks like a mastodon. The ancient elephant went extinct 10,000 years ago, so for an ancient human to have carved it, they would have needed to be alive at the same time. Unfortunately, petroglyph experts are not typically divers and therefore have not been able to view the carving in person. But if it is verified, it only raises more questions, such as how were the ancient people able to carve so deeply and precisely into granite?
The site stands out because it is understood that humans did not have the capacity for structures such as this until they settled down into villages and moved out of the hunter-gather phase. While there are very few answers about the site it would not be the first formation or the first petroglyph to be found underwater or found in the Lake Michigan area, so it is possible that the formation is real.
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