Europe's Oldest Settlement Unearthed on Shores of Albanian Lake

Archaeologists have discovered what might be one of Europe's oldest settlements on the shores of Lake Ohrid, often referred to as the "Pearl of the Balkans," reports Hurriyet.

Scientists believe that around 8,000 years ago, a settlement existed on the Albanian side of Lake Ohrid, making it one of the earliest lakeside settlements in Europe found to date. Radiocarbon dating places this site between 6,000 and 5,800 years BCE.

"By several centuries, it is older than previously known lake dwellings in the Mediterranean and Alpine regions," stated Albert Hafner, a professor of archaeology from the University of Bern, Switzerland. "As far as we know, it's the oldest in Europe," he added.

The oldest comparable settlements have been found in the Italian Alps and are dated around 5,000 years BCE, according to an expert in European Neolithic lakeside habitation.

Hafner and his team of Swiss and Albanian archaeologists spent the last four years excavating in Lin, on the Albanian side of Lake Ohrid, which lies on the mountainous border between North Macedonia and Albania.

It's estimated that the settlement housed between 200 and 500 individuals, with homes built on stilts above the lake's surface or in areas prone to flooding due to rising water levels.

The lake is slowly revealing some fascinating secrets. During recent dives, archaeologists found evidence that the settlement was fortified with thousands of stakes tipped with points, used as defensive barricades. "To protect themselves in this way, they had to cut down the forest," said Hafner.

Yet, why did the inhabitants need to construct such substantial fortifications for defence remains a question archaeologists are still seeking to answer.

Researchers tallied around 100,000 stakes embedded in the lakebed near Lin. Hafner termed this discovery a "real treasure trove for research."

Lake Ohrid is one of the world's oldest lakes, existing for over a million years. With the assistance of professional divers, archaeologists have been excavating the lake's bottom, often uncovering fossilized wood fragments and valuable oak pieces.

According to Albanian archaeologist Adrian Anastasi, the analysis of tree rings aids the team in reconstructing the daily lives of the region's inhabitants, offering a "valuable insight into the climatic and ecological conditions" of that era. "Oak is like a Swiss watch, very precise, like a calendar," said Hafner.

It will take another two decades to fully investigate and study this site and to draw definitive conclusions. These prehistoric artefacts hold significance not only for the region but for the entire Southwestern Europe as well.