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Archaeologists Discover 8,000-Year-Old Underwater Village In Albania

This aerial photograph taken on July 27, 2023, shows a diver searching for archaeological material in Lake Ohrid, southeastern Albania. A mixed team of Albanian and Swiss archaelogists from the Univesity of Bern have confirmed that the the Palafitte settlement of Lin dates back to 5800 - 6,000 years BC, making it the oldest lakeside village in Europe discovered to date. The village is believed to have consisted of houses built on stilts above the lake's surface or in areas regularly flooded by rising waters. (Photo by Adnan Beci / AFP) (Photo by ADNAN BECI/AFP via Getty Images)

ADNAN BECI/AFP via Getty Images

William Thompson Contributor
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Researchers discovered an ancient settlement of stilt houses beneath Lake Ohrid in Albania in late July.

Archaeologists on the project believe the 8,000-year-old sedentary community “is the oldest in Europe,” University of Bern archaeology professor Albert Hafner told CBS News. “It is several hundred years older than previously known lake-dwelling sites in the Mediterranean and Alpine regions,” he added.

Archaeologists unearthed the settlement of Lin, believed to have housed 200 to 500 people, after Hafner and a team of experts meticulously excavated the “Pearl of the Balkans.”

Yet, the underwater village’s perplexing array of fortifications has left scientists intrigued, according to the outlet.

Divers prepare to leave to continue their research in Lake Ohrid, near the shoreline of the Lin Village, southeastern Albania on July 27, 2023. A mixed team of Albanian and Swiss archaelogists from the Univesity of Bern have confirmed that the the Palafitte settlement of Lin dates back to 5800 - 6,000 years BC, making it the oldest lakeside village in Europe discovered to date. The village is believed to have consisted of houses built on stilts above the lake's surface or in areas regularly flooded by rising waters. (Photo by Adnan Beci / AFP) (Photo by ADNAN BECI/AFP via Getty Images)

Divers prepare to leave to continue their research in Lake Ohrid, near the shoreline of the Lin Village, southeastern Albania on July 27, 2023.(ADNAN BECI/AFP via Getty Images)

Underwater divers discovered the settlement employed an unprecedented defense strategy, guarded by thousands of spiked planks. Approximately 100,000 spikes were embedded in the lakebed near Lin, providing a “real treasure trove for research,” Hafner told CBS.

Lake Ohrid’s ancient origins and unique ecological factors have presented some challenges to excavators, the outlet reported.

“You have to fight your way through dense reed beds to get to the dive site,” research diver Marie-Claire Ries said, according to a translation from CBS.

Nevertheless, Albanian archaeologist Adrian Anastasi stressed that each excavation trip helps paint a more vivid picture of the age-old community. (RELATED: Archaeologists Potentially Uncover Forgotten Human Species)

Archaeologists, aided by divers, delicately worked to retrieve fossilized wood fragments and oak remains from Lake Ohrid. The team then conducted tree ring analyses to gain insight into the inhabitants’ daily life and environmental conditions, the outlet reported.

Swiss archaeologist Albert Hafner identifies objects discovered near the shoreline of the Lin Village in the waters of Lake Ohrid, southeastern Albania on July 27, 2023. A mixed team of Albanian and Swiss archaelogists from the Univesity of Bern have confirmed that the the Palafitte settlement of Lin dates back to 5800 - 6,000 years BC, making it the oldest lakeside village in Europe discovered to date. The village is believed to have consisted of houses built on stilts above the lake's surface or in areas regularly flooded by rising waters. (Photo by Adnan Beci / AFP) (Photo by ADNAN BECI/AFP via Getty Images)

Swiss archaeologist Albert Hafner identifies objects discovered near the shoreline of the Lin Village in the waters of Lake Ohrid, southeastern Albania on July 27, 2023. (ADNAN BECI/AFP via Getty Images)

“Oak is like a Swiss watch, very precise, like a calendar,” Hafner told CBS.

While evidence suggests the village maintained an agricultural and livestock-based economy, definitive conclusions remain out of reach for now, the outlet reported. The exploration and study of the site are anticipated to continue for at least two more decades.