Archaeologists are conducting on-site research at Lake Ohrid in Albania, where they believe they have discovered the oldest known lake settlement in Europe. This indicates that as far back as 8,000 years ago, the “very intelligent” local people were already living in an organized society engaged in hunting and farming.
According to Reuters, a team of archaeologists from Switzerland and Albania spends several hours each day diving into the lake, which is about 3 meters deep, carefully excavating ancient wooden stakes used to support houses. They have also found bones of domestic and wild animals, copper artifacts, and intricately carved pottery.
Swiss University of Bern’s Professor of Prehistoric Archaeology and co-director of the Archaeological Institute, Albert Hafner, mentioned that similar lake settlements have been unearthed in the Alps and the Mediterranean region, but the Lin site in Albania is even older, dating back approximately 6,000 to 8,000 years ago, surpassing other known settlements by five hundred years.
Hafner pointed out that due to the underwater location of the site, organic materials are well-preserved, aiding scientists in studying the diet and agricultural practices of the residents at that time. “We can understand what they ate and what they cultivated.”
Lake Ohrid, spanning North Macedonia and Albania, has a history dating back over a million years according to various studies, making it the oldest lake in Europe.
The research team has confirmed the age of the site through radiocarbon dating and dendrochronology, the latter of which determines historical time points based on tree rings. They have collected over 1,000 wood samples from the site, estimating that the settlement could have accommodated hundreds of people.
The estimated area of the settlement site is around six hectares, but after six years of research, only about 1% of the area has been excavated.
Hafner suggested that these lake-dwelling residents might have played a role in spreading agriculture and animal husbandry across Europe, stating that “they still engaged in hunting and gathering, but more stable food sources came from farming.”
Albanian archaeologist Adrian Anastasi mentioned that comprehensive exploration of the area may take several decades. He added, “From their way of life, diet, hunting, fishing, and architectural structures, we can say that they were a very intelligent group of people for that era.”