A 15 ton, 39 feet long Stonehenge style monolith has been discovered buried on the sea-bed off the coast of Sicily, reported Daily Mail.

The rock is broken into two parts and has three holes that seem to be crafted. One of the holes travels through both parts, while the other two are on the sides of the 39ft-long (12 metre) rock.

According to experts, the rock seems to have been crafted 10,000 years ago and can throw light on the earliest civilizations that dwelled in the Mediterranean basin. The discovery suggests that a prehistoric civilisation may have dwelled on the island.

The study said: "This discovery provides evidence for a significant Mesolithic human activity in the Sicilian Channel region."

According to Daily Mail, Zvi Ben-Avraham, of Tel Aviv University, and Emanuele Lodolo of the National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics in Trieste, Italy, wrote in the Journal of Archaeological Science: "There are no reasonable known natural processes that may produce these elements."

The rock was discovered 40 meters on what was once an island off the coast of Sicily.

Dr Lodolo told Discovery News,

"This discovery reveals the technological innovation and development achieved by the Mesolithic inhabitants in the Sicilian Channel region."

According to Dr Lodolo, the stone could have served as a 'lighthouse' or local beacon for seafarers or even as a place to anchor boats.