
Archaeologists reveal Europe's oldest stilt village
The Hindu
A stretch of the Albanian shore of the lake once hosted a settlement of stilt houses some 8,000 years ago, archaeologists believe, making it the oldest lakeside village in Europe discovered to date
Beneath the turquoise waters of Lake Ohrid, the "Pearl of the Balkans", scientists have uncovered what may be one of Europe's earliest sedentary communities, and are trying to solve the mystery of why it sheltered behind a fortress of defensive spikes.
A stretch of the Albanian shore of the lake once hosted a settlement of stilt houses some 8,000 years ago, archaeologists believe, making it the oldest lakeside village in Europe discovered to date.
Radiocarbon dating from the site puts it at between 6000 and 5800 BC.
"It is several hundred years older than previously known lake-dwelling sites in the Mediterranean and Alpine regions," said Albert Hafner, a professor of archaeology from Switzerland's University of Bern.
"To our knowledge, it is the oldest in Europe," he told AFP.
Also Read | Archaeological excavations unearth another Neolithic age celt in Dharmapuri district’s Poothinatham
The most ancient other such villages were discovered in the Italian Alps and date to around 5000 BC, said the expert in European Neolithic lake dwellings.

Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln are two of the greatest presidents that the U.S. has seen. You probably know that already. But did you know that Jefferson made what is considered the first contribution to American vertebrate paleontology? Or that Lincoln is the only U.S. president to receive a patent? What’s more, both their contributions have March 10 in common… 52 years apart. A.S.Ganesh hands you the details…