Fascinating Mysteries From The Stone Age

There’s nothing quite like a good mystery, especially one that has remained unsolved for a long time. And when it comes to long periods of time, nothing is quite as old as the Stone Age, a period of time that started many tens of thousands of years ago when humans and our ancestors began to make use of stone tools.

We’ve uncovered a lot of valuable and interesting information about the Stone Age in recent years, but there are some mysteries that evade even some of the most highly educated historians and archaeologists in the world.

The hope is that one day we will be able to solve these mysteries, but for now they continue to fascinate and mystify anyone who attempts to find out what the truth really is.

1. Stonehenge

Most people have heard of Stonehenge, the incredible circle of massive stones that dates back thousands of years, and can be found in northern England. Today, Stonehenge is more of a tourist trap than anything else, but since it was first discovered, archaeologists as well as historians have been attempting to discover what the purpose of the structure really is.

Due to the fact that most history from the time was passed down orally, there are no physical records to relay exactly what Stonehenge was built for. While there are a lot of different theories, the leading one is that it was built for astronomical purposes, but it’s a theory that has yet to be fully confirmed.

2. The Tower In Jericho

Jericho is considered the oldest settlement in the world that’s still occupied by people. Not long ago, archaeologists discovered that a truly ancient tower was built within the settlement around 11000 years ago, and was built right next to the much more famous Wall of Jericho. In fact, it’s so old that it was built before the establishment of agriculture, which means that it was erected by people that had settled in the area long-term, a first for the time.

The question remains, though: why would a group of hunter-gatherers want to build a tower so long ago? It’s a mystery that has very much remained unanswered, but some believe that it was initially built in order to provide protection for the early settlements in the area.

3. The Egyptian Sphinx

There are few ancient monuments that are as instantly recognisable as the Great Sphinx of Giza, its likeness has been found on everything from book covers to TV shows.

With the body of a man and the head of a lion, the Great Sphinx has long fascinated anyone who has studied it, but there are some mysteries that still surround the Sphinx. We know a lot about the Sphinx, including its design and why it was built – but what really puzzles Egyptian archaeologists, however, is the real age of the monument. Some believe that it was built around 4,500 years ago, but others feel that it’s actually much older than that, having been erected some 7000 years ago instead.