Long-skulled 'alien skeleton' discovered by archaeologists at Russia's Stonehenge

Archaeologists digging in 'Russia's Stonehenge' have discovered the remains of a skeleton with an unusual cone-shaped head. The bones were discovered in a 4,000-year-old settlement in Arkaim, central Russia.

UFO enthusiasts were quick to claim that the remains were those of an alien being that visited Earth thousands of years ago, but researchers have proved this is not the case.

Experts pointed out that the remains belong to a woman who was buried around 2,200 years ago – making her much younger than the site itself. They said her skull became deformed due to her tribe's ritual of binding the body after death.

Researcher Maria Makurova told Russian news agency TASS: "We have found a well-preserved skeleton. I would not exclude the possibility that the skeleton belongs to a woman from the Sarmati tribe that lived in the territories of what is now modern day Ukraine, Kazakhstan and southern Russia. Her skull was elongated because the tribe did so by tying up the heads of their children with rope. It was clearly a tradition in the tribe."

Further research will be conducted by the excavation team in order to determine why such rituals were held. Arkaim was first discovered in 1987 and is thought to have been established in the Bronze Age. The settlement covers an area of 220,000 square feet.