The new discovery which was made in Saudi Arabia, according to BGR.com, goes against the fact that researchers when searching for remnants of structures and settlements built by ancient people, they usually focus on areas that should have been hospitable to human life at the time.
Archaeologists reportedly discovered the existence of hundreds of stone “gates” situated in and around ancient lava domes, in an area that is easily described as a hellish landscape, without vegetation and water.
According to the reports, The structures which reportedly measure from 40 feet to nearly 1,700 feet in length, are crude in their construction and built with rough rocks that are assumed to have withstood thousands of years of wear and tear.
Another interesting fact about this discovery is that the lava fields that the structures were built on, was still very active at the time, with hardened lava seeming to have flowed over some of the gates.
David Kennedy of the Western University of Australia, who led the research, wrote: "Gates are found almost exclusively in bleak, inhospitable lava fields with scant water or vegetation, places seemingly amongst the most unwelcoming to our species."
He noted that the structures “appear to be the oldest man-made structures in the landscape,” and that at the moment “no obvious explanation of their purpose can be discerned.”
The Nation reports that the discovery was made using satellite imagery, and with the help of bird's eye view, the researchers were able to identify nearly 400 of the gates in the same area.
Other seeming manmade structures, including the odd walls and what appear to be animal traps and wheel-shaped objects which are yet to be identified, were spotted.
As for the age of the construction, the current best guess is somewhere in the neighbourhood of 9,000 years.
The researchers are preparing to launch some kind of expedition to investigate the site and possibly come up with some kind of explanation as to why the structures exist and their use, as the next step in their research.
The structures and their precarious location are so mysterious that there’s bound to be an even greater story waiting to be told.
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