Scientists have discovered the oldest settlement in the lake with the help of divers
Archaeologists have found an entire ancient village built on stilts under a lake in Albania. A village found on Lake Ohrid dating from 5900-5800 BC is possibly the oldest European lake village ever discovered by scientists. The settlements of the village were built on stilts, protecting the houses from changes in the water level in the mountainous region.
In itself, the find, probably the oldest lakeside village in Europe, would be enough to stir up the archeological community, writes Popular Mechanics. But a team of researchers from Switzerland and Albania managed to surpass even that by excavating part of the find underwater and showing how the village was once built on stilts with thousands of wooden spikes surrounding it as a protective device.
«To protect themselves in this way, they had to cut down the forest,» says Albert Hafner, professor of archeology at the University of Bern in Switzerland and lead researcher on the project.
Discovered in the mountainous lake Ohrid on the Albanian-North Macedonia border north of Greece, radiocarbon dating dates the find off the coast of Lina to between 5900 and 5800 BC, according to AFP. — this is several hundred years older than the previously known habitats of lake dwellers in the Mediterranean and Alpine regions. «As far as we know,» said Hafner, «this is the oldest such village in Europe.»
Walking through the dense vegetation on the Albanian side, archaeologists needed snorkeling equipment and the help of professional divers to determine the dimensions village, which probably had up to 500 inhabitants. The houses were built on stilts to support the dwellings above the lake and the area's undulating water levels.
«Building their village on stilts was a difficult task, very difficult, very difficult, and it is important to understand why these people made such a choice,» says Albanian archaeologist Adrian Anastasi.
According to AFP, cutting down trees for piles, residents have found another use for them — made approximately 100,000 spiked oak planks, which they stuck into the bottom of the lake.
The oak used in the thorns may itself provide some answers — although, most likely, to questions of an ecological nature rather than practical ones. The study of tree rings can help researchers understand the changes in the area. «The oak tree is like a Swiss watch,» notes Professor Hafner, «very accurate, like a calendar.»
Albert Hafner had already announced in 2021, in the first days of exploring the site, that the village had probably become a key cause of the spread of agriculture in Europe. Continued discoveries are helping to reinforce old beliefs.
A lot of people are thrilled by these discoveries, from Albanian Prime Minister to Swiss Ambassador Ruth Huber, the last of whom visited the site in July on a private tour.
As divers assist archaeologists in their quest to unearth as much of this area as possible by helping to collect pieces of wood and animal bones from the bottom of the lake, the team hopes to continually learn more about the way of life in this ancient village. Maybe they can even understand why a village of no more than 500 people needed 100,000 wooden spikes.