A mysterious, ancient man-made stone structure in the Golan Heights that has intrigued researchers for decades is not at all unique in the region, a new study published in the prestigious journal PLOS ONE found. Consisting of a central mound surrounded by multiple concentric rings of basalt stones, the enigmatic site is sometimes referred to as the “Stonehenge of the East” or the “Wheel of Ghosts.” The Rujm el-Hiri stone circle was first discovered in 1968 through military aerial photography.
Built between 6,500 and 3,500 years ago, the site is composed of some 40,000 tons of rocks. It has been variously interpreted as a burial monument, an astronomical observatory, a place for ceremonial gatherings, and more, largely based on what archaeologists believed was its singularity. Recently, a multidisciplinary team of Israeli and international archaeologists and physicists was working on developing methods to use remote sensing — an umbrella of technologies that allows researchers to obtain information about objects or areas from afar — as a tool for archaeological survey.
They used high-resolution satellite imagery acquired over two decades (2004–2024) by several platforms, including Google Earth Pro and CNES/Airbus. They also combined images capturing the same areas from different sources and across the years and processed them. The methodology enhanced visibility of landscape characteristics and traces of ancient human intervention that would otherwise be hidden by seasonal vegetation, shadows, and other obstacles. The resulting images feature clear shapes and structures that would have been invisible to the naked eye or in regular aerial images. (Ed note: Perhaps the Nephilim from the Bible hung out there back in the day.) (Read More)
