Archaeologists unearth stunning ‘spider stones’ created by Neolithic sun worshipers 5,000 years ago
.Archaeologists found stones they think were left by sun worshipers in Denmark
.They were found on Bornholm Island in the Baltic Sea
.Scientists previously discovered what they think might be the first maps there
.The spider stones are among the first artifacts that show spider web depictions
Scientists have discovered strange stones in Denmark on the island of Bornholm that have raised questions about sun-worshipers who lived around 5,000 years ago.
Among their new finds are ‘spider stones’, which are marked with a pattern similar to that of a spider’s web.
Additionally, researchers discovered copper at the site, noteworthy because scientists do not believe copper could not have been produced by the inhabitants living on the island at the time, Live Science reported.
The new discoveries point to unsolved mysteries about Denmark’s history, researchers concluded.
The spider stones resemble the likes of ‘solar stones’ or ‘sun stones’, hundreds of which have been found on the island since the 1990s.
The remains have been located around a walled Neolithic enclosure that is about 650 feet wide. The enclosure sits at Vasagard archaeological site on Bornholm.
The island is situated between Sweden’s southern tip and Poland’s coast in the Baltic Sea.
Inhabitants polished and marked a kind of local stone to create the sun stones, which are hand-sized and round.
The patterns that are found on the stones mimic the sun’s rays. These patterns have turned up on rocks at a number of prehistoric sites across the globe, either engraved or painted on the stones.
But the new spider stones are different, researchers have claimed. This is because they are inscribed with straight lines that run across and between radiating lines, and this gives the look of a spider’s web.
About six of the stones have turned up at the Vasagard site, which scientists think was of significance to Neolithic sun-worshipers.
Director of Bornholm Museum Finn Ole Nielsen said that he found a historical reference to spider webs that could be of significance at a church in France.
A web is painted on the ceiling of the Medieval structure, and researchers think it might represent the transition from life to death.
However, archaeologists can’t be certain what the newly-discovered spider stones mean, Nielsen told Live Science.
In addition to the spider stones archaeologists excavated what was left of round timber structures. A number of these structures were 30 feet wide, and the remains have been found near the main walled compound at Vasagard.
Archaeologists have discovered ‘spider stones’ on Bornholm Island in Denmark.
Their name is derived from the patterns found on the round stones, which resemble spider webs.
But the discovery isn’t the first to be made on the island, which is located in the Baltic Sea.
Two years ago researchers discovered fragments of rocks known as ‘field stones’ or ‘map stones’ on the island.
Some speculate that these stones could be the earliest known maps.
But Fleming Kaul, an archaeologist at the National Museum of Denmark, told Live Science that these stones could have had an even deeper meaning.
Kaul said that they might have been part of a religious ceremony during which Bornholm inhabitants tried to ensure that their farmland, community or family would be blessed with weather that would allow crops to grow.
Archaeologists have discovered ‘spider stones’ on Bornholm Island in Denmark.
Their name is derived from the patterns found on the round stones, which resemble spider webs.
But the discovery isn’t the first to be made on the island, which is located in the Baltic Sea.
Two years ago researchers discovered fragments of rocks known as ‘field stones’ or ‘map stones’ on the island.
Some speculate that these stones could be the earliest known maps.
But Fleming Kaul, an archaeologist at the National Museum of Denmark, told Live Science that these stones could have had an even deeper meaning.
Kaul said that they might have been part of a religious ceremony during which Bornholm inhabitants tried to ensure that their farmland, community or family would be blessed with weather that would allow crops to grow.