Researchers have discovered that they may be one of the oldest settled communities in Europe, but they still don’t understand why the settlers had to build such fortifications.
Under the turquoise waters of Lake Ohrid, also known as the “Pearl of the Balkans”, researchers have discovered something surprising and quite frightening. This settlement, hidden under the ancient waters of the lake, is thought to be one of the oldest inhabited communities in Europe, Science Alert.
Archaeologists now believe there was a mysterious village built on stilts on part of the Albanian coastline about 8,000 years ago. This makes it one of the oldest coastal villages in Europe that scientists have been able to explore before.
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According to co-author Albert Hafner, professor of archeology at the University of Berlin in Switzerland, the site is several hundred years older than any previously known lake area in the Mediterranean and Alps. The researchers say they and their colleagues from Switzerland and Albania have spent the last four years on the expedition digging at Lina, on the Albanian side of Lake Ohrid, on the mountainous border of North Macedonia and Albania.
Researchers believe that 200 to 500 people previously lived in this settlement. Their homes were built on stilts above the lake surface or in areas that were regularly flooded. However, it seems even more surprising that this population was over-fortified – it was surrounded by a defensive spire. During the last dive, Hafner said he and his colleagues found about 100,000 spikes inserted into the boards used as protective barricades at the bottom of the lake.
Scientists believe that to build such fortifications, local residents probably had to cut down an entire forest. At the same time, it remains a mystery why the local population needed such extensive fortifications and why they had to defend themselves.
Note that Lake Ohrid is one of the oldest lakes in the world and has existed for over a million years. The scientists enlisted the help of professional divers to examine the local bottom, where they found fossilized wood chips and valuable pieces of oak. According to Albanian archaeologist Adrian Anastasi, co-author of the study, the analysis of tree rings helped the team reconstruct the daily lives of the residents, as well as help them understand the climatic and environmental conditions in which they lived. That period.
According to Albanian archeology professor Ilir Jepali, another co-author of the study, he and his colleagues also found various seeds, plants, as well as bones of wild and domestic animals here. Now the researchers plan to focus on understanding why the inhabitants of this settlement should build a settlement on piles and strengthen it with a hundred thousand piles.
Previously Focus He wrote about what scientists call the oldest surviving city on Earth.
Source: Focus
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