The
archeologists at the International Journal of Nautical Archaeology report and
confirm that the structure is man-made and measures about 70 meters in diameter
at the depth about 291 meters.
Close inspection made by scuba diving has revealed that the structure is made of basalt boulders that measure up to 1 meter long with no apparent construction pattern and no signs of cutting or chiseling.
One archaeologist
wrote that a possible interpretation for the structure is related to the fact that
it attracts fish and thus may be interpreted as a part of a marine-based
economy. Having said that, the structure must have been built as an underwater structure,
noting that structures built of stone that are thought to be ancient fish
nurseries are well known in the Sea of Galilee and are found near the shores at
regular intervals. However, they are significantly smaller than the structure
revealed recently, with diameters of up to 4 meters.
An
alternative scenario is that the structure was built onshore; when the water
level was lower back then than it is today.
LiveScience.com
reports that the structure appears to be a giant cairn, with rocks piled on top
of each other. "Structures like this are known from elsewhere in the world
and are sometimes used to mark burials," according to the report.
"Researchers do not know if the newly discovered structure was used for
this purpose."
Researcher
Yitzhak Paz, of the Israel Antiquities Authority and Ben-Gurion University,
told LiveScience.com the structure could date back more than 4,000 years. The
"effort invested in such an enterprise is indicative of a complex,
well-organized society, with planning skills and economic ability," the
researchers wrote in their journal paper.