Last September, Alexander Ludov, a student of local lore, made a strange discovery not far from a burial mound on the basin of the Aksai river (Russia). He spotted several gigantic stones in the middle of a steppe. The construction consists of vertically erected massive rocks: long 'Menhir alleys' made of stone stretch from East to West. According to results of a geological expedition, the site dates back to approximately 9,000 BCE. Thus, these megaliths could be much older than the other European megaliths.
     "These rocks do not contain traces of limestone or any other kinds of rocks that are commonly found in our steppes. These rocks are made of quartz," said Alexander Ludov. "Today, we can only guess about the initial forms of the megaliths. For centuries, people have been looting the archaeological site. However, the damages had not been too drastic. This is the first discovery of megaliths in the European part of Russia; similar stone monuments have been previously discovered only in Caucasus and Siberia." added Ludow.
     "The fact that the Don megaliths represent the most ancient of archaeological sites - considers Alexander Ludov - allows us to presume that our civilization had in fact taken its roots from the Don region. Perhaps, ancient people erected such monuments to commemorate their ancestors."
     Unfortunately, just like many ancient monuments, which remain under open air, Ludov's find cannot be protected against vandalism. Perhaps, in a few centuries there will be nothing left of this ancient site.

Source: Pravda (1 September 2004)