Nearby, archaeologists found some 40 pits containing bones of people believed to have been offered as human sacrifices. He Jiejun, director of the Hunan Archaeological Research Society, said the altar apparently was used for community activities over a 300-year period. Bob Carr, director of the Miami-Dade Historic Preservation Division, said tests showed that a piece of charcoal found within one of the 30 basins that form the Circle was 1,800 to 2,100 years old. Another piece of charcoal, found in the center of the Circle, was 1,850 to 1,990 years old, he said. The archaeological discovery in downtown Miami, on the south bank of the Miami River and just east of the Brickell Avenue bridge, has become a worldwide sensation.
Archaeologists believe it was created by the long-extinct Tequesta tribe.
The mysterious formation consists of stone carvings and post holes that link to form a perfect circle, apparently based on geometric calculations. Archaeologists speculate the circle could have been used to measure time or for religious purposes. In some deeper holes they have found the remains of a 5-foot shark and a sea turtle, possibly evidence of ceremonial sacrifices. Court action is pending. Miami Herald, St.