Ancient Mysteries and Megaliths

This category of megaliths and ancient mysteries encompasses man-made sites constructed thousands of years ago for religious or ritual purposes. Nearly all are mysterious because their exact origins and purposes are lost to history.

Modern research has shed a great deal of light on these ancient sacred sites and theories abound concerning their origin and purpose. But in the end, visitors to ancient mysteries can only marvel at the silent monuments ancient cultures left behind and wonder at their true meaning.

	Avebury, England Avebury is not far from Stonehenge and is sometimes overlooked, but many prefer Avebury to its more famous neighbor. Its stone circle is just as old and mysterious, and much larger. Situated amidst a charming village, Avebury also has an entirely different atmosphere than the roadside Stonehenge.
	Carnac Stones, France In a small village in Brittany are more than 3,000 prehistoric standing stones, some of which may date to as early as 4500 BC.
	Cerne Abbas Giant, England This intriguing chalk figure of a club-wielding naked man may be a drawing of an ancient fertility god, the Greek god Hercules... or maybe even Oliver Cromwell! No one knows when or why it was made.
	Easter Island, South Pacific Easter Island is a small island in the South Pacific belonging to Chile. Its name derives from its rediscovery by a Dutch explorer on Easter Sunday in 1722. Easter Island is famous for its tight-lipped statues that stand across the island. Exactly why and how the people of Rapa Nui assembled these ancient wonders is not fully understood.
	Glastonbury Tor, England This conical-shaped hill in Glastonbury is shrouded in legends associated with King Arthur, the Holy Grail and ley lines. Archaeological excavations have uncovered remains of Neolithic activity here, and it is possible that the hill's mysterious seven encircling terraces date from Neolithic times as well.
	Machu Picchu, Peru Machu Picchu ("old peak"), also known as the "Lost City of the Incas," is a well-preserved ancient town high on a mountain ridge in Peru. Machu Picchu is the end point of the most popular hike in South America, the Inca Trail. The site has ruins of a large palace and temples to Incan deities around a courtyard, with other buildings for support staff.
	Nazca Lines, Peru The Nazca Lines are geoglyphs (drawings on the ground) located in the Nazca Desert, a high arid plateau that stretches 37 miles between the towns of Nazca and Palpa on the pampa (a large flat area of southern Peru). The drawings include a hummingbird, monkey, spider and lizard, to name only a few of the over 300 drawings. They were created during the Nazca culture in the area, between 200 BC and 600 AD.
	Rollright Stones, England This set of Neolithic monuments in Oxfordshire includes a stone circle, a portal-type burial chamber, and a single standing megalith. The monuments were constructed over a long period between 4000 and 1500 BC, reflecting the continuing sacred importance of the site.
	Samaipata, Bolivia This intriguing ancient site, dubbed "The Fort" by the Spanish, centers around a large stone hill covered in mysterious carvings of animals and geometric designs. Unique in the Americas (and thought by some to be a UFO runway), it has been designated a World Heritage Site.
	Silbury Hill, England Silbury Hill is a prehistoric man-made mound of stunning proportions and unknown purpose. Located just over a mile from Avebury in Wiltshire, Silbury Hill is the largest mound of its kind in Europe.
	Stonehenge, England Stonehenge is a prehistoric circle of upright stones in southern England. Construction on the site began 5,000 years ago; the famous stones that still stand today were put in place about 4,000 years ago. The stones are aligned almost perfectly with the sunrise on the summer solstice, leading most experts to conclude Stonehenge was built as a place of worship.
	Tiwanaku (Tiahuanaco) Another of Bolivia's World Heritage Sites, the temples, megaliths, and intriguing sculptures of Tiwanaku were created by pre-Incan people. The city was later holy to the Incas, who believed it to be the site of creation.