A skeleton unearthed in a site called Arkaim, known as Russia's Stonehenge, has sparked debate on whether or not extraterrestrial beings visited Earth.
UFO enthusiasts claimed that the skeleton's elongated skull, which is shaped like an egg, is proof that aliens once visited the planet.
Some believe that the skull's high forehead is characteristic of the so-called "alien grey" often depicted as large-eyed and large-foreheaded beings in sci-fi films and even hoaxes.
Archaeologists, though, are not convinced of the alien theory, saying that the bones belonged to a human who lived about 2,000 years ago.
The scientists who shared photos of the discovery said that the body was likely from the second or third century after Christ. They also have a good explanation for the conehead skull.
Archaeologists claim that the remains belonged to a woman from a 4,000 BC settlement, and the shape of the skull can be attributed to a tradition of the tribe that she belonged to.
Experts believe that members of the Sarmati tribe would bind their head so that it would grow out of shape. The tribe lived in Arkaim, which can be found near central Russia's modern day city of Chelyabinsk.
"We have found a well-preserved skeleton," said researcher Maria Makurova. "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."
Makurova refused to comment on speculations that the skull is proof of alien visitors, saying that they are currently working on theories that would explain why the tribe had the head-binding tradition.
UFO enthusiasts also put forward their own theory based on the premise of the tribe's tradition, saying that the tribe may have observed the head-binding practice as a way of mimicking the alien skulls of the extraterrestrial beings that visited the area.
The Arkaim archaeological site has yielded spectacular discoveries since it was discovered in 1987 by a team of scientists who were preparing the area to be flooded so as to create a reservoir.
The site, which appeared to be important in the study of the Bronze Age and was deemed a cultural reserve in 1991, served as a primitive astronomical observatory and a village fortified by stone circular walls. The area is also believed to have been the home of about 1,500 to 2,500 people during its heyday.
