5,000-Year-Old ‘Wheel of Giants’ Stone Formation Remains Mystery (Video)

A stone formation in Israel called ‘Wheel of Giants’ that is thought to be 5,000 years old remains a mystery to scholars but some believe it may have been used as a tomb or a sun marker.
Epoch Video
11/12/2015
Updated:
11/15/2015

Stonehenge in the U.K. is probably the most famous ancient rock structure, but there’s a formation in Israel that researchers are also trying to figure out.

Called “Wheel of Giants” in Hebrew or “Rujm el-Hiri” in Arabic, it is estimated to be around the same age as Stonehenge--nearly 5,000 years old. The structure consists of walls up to six and eight-feet tall made out of  stacked stones believed to weigh as much as 41,000 U.S. tons.

The configuration includes an outer ring measuring about 520-feet in diameter surrounding four inner circles which are concentric but connected at certain points by smaller walls.

At the center is what is believed to be a burial chamber that rises 15-feet high and is marked by an outer stone monument and an access path. No human remains or belongings have been found within it which may be a consequence of thieves.

Another theory about the purpose of the formation is that it marks the movements of the sun, especially on the two solstice days of the year.

It was first discovered in 1967 after archaeologists noticed the circular shapes in an overhead view.