A study by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev researchers has revealed that the stone circles of Rujm el-Hiri, known as "Israel's Stonehenge," are not only the only ones of its kind, but at least 28 other sites within 25 kilometers of Ruijm el. The discovery suggests that Rujma el-hiri was not a singular monument but an "elaborate example of a widespread architectural tradition integrated into the social and economic systems of the proto-historic Levant". The newly discovered sites all share a similar design, with circular structures between 50 and 250 meters in diameter built with stones from local basalt fields. The structures may have been used as ritual gathering places, territorial markers, or assembly sites for ancient herding communities.