A team of archaeologists from the Czech Republic revealed the discovery of an ancient settlement in mid-July.
The incredible site was described as “exceptionally well-preserved” by researchers, showing the complex life of Neolithic populations farming the region some 7,000 years ago, according to Arkeonews. “This site, called Dobřeň, named after a village nearby, is unique due to its state of preservation. It’s a miracle that this site was not overlaid or destroyed in later millennia,” researcher Daniel Pilař of the Czech Academy of Sciences told Radio Prague International (PRI).
It’s rare to find a Neolithic settlement that hasn’t been overlaid by Bronze and/or Iron Age societies or groups. “But with Dobřeň it’s different. We think it was only used for a short period of time, maybe by a few generations. And in the next millennia this place was never used, at least for living. So it offers us great insight into the Neolithic world,” Pilař continued in the interview.
Exceptionally well-preserved Neolithic settlement found near Kutná Hora https://t.co/yiZvCHyLDb
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Within the site, the team uncovered four distinct ground plans for four houses, Pilař told PRI. The houses were built from wood, he added, so did not survive the test of time. (RELATED: Archaeologists Think They’ve Found A Hidden Celtic Treasure)
The inhabitants were likely agricultural, according to Pilař. Their day-to-day lives were far more complex than ours today, though likely far more rewarding. “They used, for example, pottery for cooking and for storage. They used flint blades for hunting or harvesting grains. They used polished stone tools, such as stone axes, for carpentry or stone mills for milling the grains,” he said in the interview.
7,000-years-old Neolithic settlement unearthed in Czech Republic
Archaeologists have uncovered a 7,000-year-old Neolithic settlement near Kutná Hora in the Czech Republic. Named “Dobřeň” after the nearby village, the site is…
More information: https://t.co/9wcHCVlKBV pic.twitter.com/Go9UBumTEE
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As experts continue to survey the site, I’m sure we’ll learn far more about our ancient ancestors. Radiocarbon dating of materials should give researchers a far more specific date for when the site was inhabited, as well as what caused the residents to leave.
I think it’s pretty telling that no one ever built on top of the site again.
