In the vast realm of human history, there are still numerous mysteries surrounding our early ancestors. From the rise of bipedalism to the construction of awe-inspiring structures, many aspects of our ancient past continue to perplex experts. One such enigma is Stonehenge, the prehistoric monument in Britain that has baffled researchers for centuries. And now, it seems that a similarly enigmatic stone structure has been uncovered beneath the waters of Lake Michigan in the United States. Remarkably, this underwater creation predates Stonehenge by a staggering 5,000 years.
The discovery was made in 2007 by a team of archaeologists, led by Mark Holley, a professor of underwater archaeology at Northwestern Michigan College. While conducting a survey of Lake Michigan's underwater landscape off the coast of Traverse City, Michigan, Holley and his team stumbled upon a series of large stones arranged in a circular pattern. These stones, some weighing up to 3,000 pounds, appeared to have been purposefully placed by humans in a geometric formation.
The circular pattern spans approximately 40 feet in diameter, featuring an inner circle measuring around 20 feet in diameter. Made of locally sourced granite, the stones are estimated to be around 10,000 years old, making this formation one of the oldest ever discovered in North America. Despite their similar size and shape to the monoliths of Stonehenge, the origins of the Lake Michigan stones are far murkier and debated among experts.
Scientist Rob Nelson, in an episode for Discovery UK titled 'American Stonehenge,' explains that while the stones form a geometric shape, they are not stacked or connected in the same way as Stonehenge. He emphasizes the limited knowledge about the prehistoric tribes who occupied the Great Lakes region and asserts that nothing in the archaeological record resembles this formation.
However, there are local beliefs that shed some light on this perplexing discovery. Hank, a descendant of the Anishinaabe people who were among the first inhabitants of the region, shares his tribe's perspective. According to Hank, stones hold immense significance in Anishinaabe culture as animate objects originating from the living Earth. He believes that his tribe's ancestors, who settled in the area following the last Ice Age, placed these stones in the lake for sacred purposes. Hank considers this underwater monument as evidence of his people's longstanding presence in the region.
Mark Holley adds further context to the discovery, explaining that the area where the stones were found was not underwater 10,000 years ago. It was, in fact, an ideal place for human settlement near the coastline with easy access to resources and transportation. However, as time passed, water levels rose, submerging the Lake Michigan basin and the once-inhabited area.
Thanks to advances in technology like stereo photogrammetry, scientist Rob Nelson was able to stitch together photographs of the rocks, creating a detailed 3D rendering. Upon close examination, carvings and engravings were revealed, including a depiction of a Mastodon—a now-extinct ancestor of elephants and woolly mammoths that roamed North America during the Pleistocene Epoch. These carvings suggest that the ancient architects had knowledge of and maybe even hunted these colossal mammals.
Dr. John O'Shea, Curator of Great Lakes Archaeology at the University of Michigan, proposes an intriguing possibility for the site's purpose. He notes the allusion to Mastodons combined with the formation's configuration, featuring a long line of rocks leading towards it, leading him to speculate that it could have been an ancient hunting structure known as a drive lane. Drive lanes were used by early humans for thousands of years to herd large groups of animals along a designated path toward a kill zone where hunters lay in wait.
If Dr. O'Shea's theory holds, this underwater site challenges the prevailing belief that early humans were incapable of constructing such sophisticated structures. Nevertheless, the precise purpose of this ancient formation and the identity of its architects continue to elude us, much like its younger cousin thousands of miles away in Salisbury, England.
The discovery beneath the waters of Lake Michigan serves as a humbling reminder that there is still much we have yet to uncover about our ancestors and their incredible achievements. As we continue to explore and study our past, more mysteries are sure to surface, urging us to delve deeper into the captivating enigmas of our history.
