Archaeologists find evidence of Europe’s oldest lake settlement
Evidence of settlement dating back up to 8,000 years uncovered
- Archaeologists have uncovered what they believe to be Europe's oldest human settlement on the shores of Lake Ohrid.
- The organised hunting and farming community lived up to 8,000 years ago, making it half a millennium older than similar settlements found in Alpine and Mediterranean regions.
- Working three metres underwater, teams from Switzerland and Albania are retrieving well-preserved wooden stilts, animal bones, copper objects and ceramics.
- Radiocarbon dating and dendrochronology confirm the age of the findings, which indicate the inhabitants played a role in spreading agriculture and livestock across Europe.
- The site, believed to span six hectares, has only been one per cent excavated after six years, with full exploration potentially taking decades.