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New study rules out Golan Stone Circle as an astronomical observatory

January 3, 2025
Gilgal Refā'īm is an ancient megalithic monument in the Golan Heights (Early Bronze Age II, 3000-2700 BC). Photo: Assaf.C/CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.Gilgal Refā'īm is an ancient megalithic monument in the Golan Heights (Early Bronze Age II, 3000-2700 BC). Photo: Assaf.C/CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Rujm el-Hiri is an archaeological site located in the Golan Heights containing an ancient megalithic monument consisting of several concentric circles of stones and characterized by a tumulus in the center approximately 4,5 meters high.

The site dates back to the early Bronze Age (3000 BC-2750 BC) and until recently was believed to function as an astronomical observatory. Nicknamed the “Stonehenge of the East” or the “Wheel of Ghosts”, Rujm el-Hiri has at the centre of its concentric circles a central mound housing a small burial chamber.  

Using geomagnetic analysis and tectonic reconstruction, an interdisciplinary team of researchers comprised of scholars from Tel Aviv University, Ben-Gurion University, and Azerbaijan State University of Oil and Industry determined that the site has experienced significant displacement since its construction. 

The structure has shifted and rotated by about 8-15 millimetres per year, meaning that over thousands of years it has moved tens of metres from its original position. This shift invalidates the hypothesis that the site was aligned with celestial bodies in the past.

Remote scanning also enabled the first comprehensive mapping of the archaeological landscape around the site, which identified dozens of circular structures, burial mounds and enclosures that could have served agricultural, pastoral or even residential purposes.

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