Archaeologists in the Czech Republic have stumbled upon something quite incredible: remnants of a prehistoric housing estate inhabited by the earliest farmers of the Late Stone Age! Approximately 7,000 years ago, these early settlers established themselves in an area where bountiful and fertile soil provided well for agriculture, and so they built their settlement on a slight ridge above the Oskava River.
A Massive Longhouse
During a two-week rescue excavation at Nové Dědina near Uničov in the Olomouc region, led by archaeologist Mark Kalábek, from the Olomouc Archaeological Center, the team uncovered columnar pits that served as foundations for an above-ground structure known as a longhouse, which housed these early farmers. The house walls were reinforced with woven twine and coated with clay, reports a press release by the Olomouc Archaeological Center. They used a process that provided effective thermal insulation, creating a shelter for the entire community.
“We also found stock pits of cauldron or bag shapes, which were used, for example, to store crops. After the end of their use, the locals used them as waste pits,” stated Kalábek.
Cauldron shaped storage pit. (Nikola Orlitová/Olomouc Archaeological Center)
A Near Perfect Cremation
In the same area, archaeologists also discovered a cluster of five cremation graves from the Late Bronze Age, dating back to between 1200 and 1000 BC. These graves were associated with the Lusatian Urnfield culture (cremating the dead and placing…
