Croatian archaeologists discovered a 7,000-year-old road off the shore of Korcula Island, according to an announcement posted Sunday.
The archaeologists found the road below deposits of sea mud, and it is thought to have once connected the prehistoric settlement of the Hvar culture with the coast of Korcula Island, according to a Facebook post from the University of Zadar cited by Total Croatia News. The road is roughly 13 feet wide, and features carefully stacked stone plates.
Preserved wood found around the roadway was dated to around 4,900 B.C., meaning humans walked along the roads some 7,000 years ago, or maybe even further back. Teams found strange structures on the seabed of Gradina Bay on the other side of the island. Inspections revealed neolithic artifacts such as flint blades, a stone axe and “fragments of sacrifice,” according to the Facebook post.
The university shared footage of the road online, showing the intricate detail of the stone slabs. Teams from the university and a slew of museum curators from throughout Croatia made the discovery of the road possible. (RELATED: Archaeologist Claims ‘Many Features Of The Amazon Are Man-Made’)
Korcula Island is believed to be the birthplace of Marco Polo, according to Total Croatia News. It was also reportedly the first place to abolish slavery in 1214, but its history goes back almost 20,000 years. A stone tablet discovered on the island places the settlement’s origins to around 2,300 years ago.