Workers picked up a rock with a human face pattern, which could be an alien code.

This stone is made from a type of rock that is not common in the area where it was found.

In 1872, a group of workers were working next to Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire, USA when they encountered a strange thing. While digging a hole to bury a fence post, a worker accidentally picked up a lump of clay containing an egg-shaped stone. Surprisingly, this stone has puzzled scientists for many years. Why did this happen?

The appearance of the mysterious stone

Close-up image of the strange egg-shaped stone. (Photo: Sohu).

This strange egg-shaped rock was later owned by Seneca A. Ladd, a local merchant who hired workers to dig the fence.

The reason this stone attracted the attention of the scientific community was because it had many unusual patterns carved on its surface. This type of pattern had never been discovered before in the United States. Moreover, the type of stone used to create this stone was not common in the state of New Hampshire. Later, archaeologists named it "New England's Mystery Stone".

The egg-shaped stone is about 10.2cm long, 6.4cm thick, weighs 510.3g and is black. There are holes drilled at both ends of the stone, which are drilled from one end to the other.

After examination, it was determined that the stone was made of sandstone or mylonite , a fine-grained rock formed by the movement of rock layers along fault lines.

The stone is carved with many patterns and motifs never before discovered in the US. (Photo: Sohu)

The stone is carved with many strange symbols such as astronomy, human face, inverted arrow, Moon with two round dots, spiral, a tent. On one side of the stone is carved a corn cob with 17 corn kernels in a row. Below the corn cob is a circle with 3 symbols such as deer legs, animals with a pair of big ears. The face is carved slightly sunken with the nose not protruding beyond the surface of the egg. In particular, the lips of the face seem to be created with a purposeful expression.

The American Naturalist magazine then approached Seneca A. Ladd with a proposal to write an article about the strange stone. The magazine described the artifact as "a remarkable relic of the Indian people."

The stone has holes drilled at both ends. (Photo: Sohu).

The stone remained in the family of Seneca A. Ladd until his death in 1892. His daughter donated the stone to the New Hampshire Historical Society for study. Scientists at the Society did not believe that the stone was created by Native Americans and so placed it in a separate area.

Hypotheses about the origin of the strange stone

Regarding the origin of this egg-shaped stone, scientists have put forward a number of hypotheses to explain.

First , the theory put forward by American Naturalist magazine suggests that the stone is a memorial to a treaty signed between two Native American tribes.

Scientists have put forward many hypotheses surrounding the origin of this strange egg-shaped stone. (Photo: Sohu).

Second , experts from the New Hampshire Historical Society believe that the stone is of Celtic or Inuit (or Eskimo) origin. It could be a type of their tool.

Third , in 1931, a letter was sent to the New Hampshire Historical Society claiming that the stone was a thunderstone. The author also called the stone a thunderbolt, the lightning axe was said to have "fallen from the sky." Stories about thunderstone have been found in many different cultures around the world. It is often associated with the God of Thunder. The author of the letter stated that thunderstones are usually buried in clay or solid rock or surrounded by coral.

Fourth , in 1994, Richard Boisvert, an archaeologist from New Hampshire, believed that the stone was part of something else. This expert based his conclusion on the holes drilled on both ends of the stone. He said that the holes were straight, not tapered, which proved that the stone was placed on a metal shaft and removed many times. Richard Boisvert also believed that these holes were created by electric tools, not by hand. His hypothesis has led some to suspect that the egg-shaped stone is just an elaborate hoax by someone else.

Until now, the age of this stone has not been determined. (Photo: Sohu).

Fifth , this egg-shaped stone has so many special features that people still cannot determine its age. Therefore, some experts have hypothesized that this stone may come from another planet. They even believe that the engraving on the stone is an alien code.

To this day, no one has been able to determine the origin of this egg-shaped stone. Scientists are still trying to figure out what it was made for and what the carvings mean. The stone is currently on display at the New Hampshire State History Museum, surrounded by mirrors to highlight its features.