Scientists Found Oldest Village in Europe Surrounded by Spikes

Bright Side

Scientists have discovered what they believe to be the oldest village in Europe, and it has a unique twist—it was surrounded by wooden spikes! This ancient village, which could be nearly 7,000 years old, was likely built with these spikes, or palisades, as a form of protection. Archaeologists think the spikes were put up to keep out wild animals or other tribes, making it one of the earliest examples of village defense. The settlement shows how early humans started forming communities with safety in mind. It's incredible to think that so long ago, people were already working together to create secure, organized living spaces. This find gives us a glimpse into life in ancient Europe and shows just how clever early humans were at protecting themselves.  Credit: TRT World / YouTube Ancient Architects / YouTube Science Channel / YouTube Frontiero Sphere / YouTube GOLAHURA / YouTube CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0: Chavín de Huantar Août: By Martin St-Amant (S23678), https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=100481142 El Castillo: By Martin St-Amant (S23678), https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2881483 CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/: Göbekli Tepe: By Klaus-Peter Simon, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20133364 Göbekli Tepe, Urfa: By Teomancimit, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17377542 Piramide Chichen-Itza: By Pedro Marcano, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=59088384 Teopanzolco: By Roberto malvido, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=153550210 Spain location map: By NordNordWest, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4321210 MNCH 09 croquis del complejo: By Dtarazona, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15771563 Chavinmuseolarco: By Pattych, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3213824 CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0: Karahantepe3: By Vincent Vega, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=151847571 Karahantepe4: By Vincent Vega, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=151847577 KarahantepeHumanStatue: By Vincent Vega, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=151847579 Chavín Cabeza Clava: By kcorac, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=51744048 Animation is created by Bright Side.  #brightside   ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/   Listen to Bright Side on:  Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/idhttps-podcasts-apple-com-podcast-bright-side/id1554898078 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Social Media: Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/brightside/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/brightside.official/ Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.official?lang=en Snapchat - https://www.snapchat.com/p/c6a1e38a-bff1-4a40-9731-2c8234ccb19f/1866144599336960  Stock materials (photos, footages and other):  https://www.depositphotos.com  https://www.shutterstock.com  https://www.eastnews.ru  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me

Transcript

00:00Experts found the oldest lakeside village ever discovered in Europe underneath the waters of Lake Orid in Albania.

00:08The lake itself is ancient too. It's said to be one of the oldest lakes in the world.

00:14Before this discovery, a village in the Italian Alps held the record.

00:18It was about 7,000 years old.

00:21But radiocarbon dating shows that the village under Lake Orid was built between 6,000 and 5,080 BCE,

00:29which means it's around 1,000 years older than any other village in Europe.

00:34Around 200 to 500 people lived in this village.

00:38It goes back to the time of the Neolithic period.

00:41In fact, these people were likely one of the first ever communities that decided to settle down.

00:50This discovery wouldn't be so interesting if it didn't have an enigma.

00:55Villagers made a wooden fortress of spikes all around their village to stay safe.

01:00But safe from what? Something mysterious.

01:05These locals went through all the trouble of building their homes on stilts over the lake and surrounding it with spikes for defense.

01:13Why did they make things so complex? That's what archaeologists are trying to figure out.

01:19Are there any other unusual settlements? Sure thing.

01:23For example, Gobekli Tepe.

01:26This place takes us back to the very beginning of permanent settlements.

01:30It also makes us question everything we thought we knew about how organized societies started.

01:39It seems like the fellas who lived there were into something pretty special, like rituals or hanging out together as a community.

01:47Around 11,000 years ago, ancient humans carved huge blocks of limestone and somehow managed to drag them to the other side of the mound.

01:56These blocks were like canvases painted with images of animals and people.

02:01They were placed in circles.

02:03Underneath these stones, you'll find the same massive pillars as the ones from the other side of the mound.

02:09Around 250 of these pillars hang out on the surface, and researchers also found around 60 of them during the dig.

02:18These are like messages from the past, telling us about people who once lived here and the stuff they were up to.

02:26These findings challenge traditional timelines and interpretations of early human society.

02:32While Gobekli Tepe has gained popularity among tourists, there's another site nearby.

02:38Karahan Tepe. It remains lesser known, but equally significant.

02:43Both sites challenge the belief that animal farming led to settled life.

02:48In fact, it appears people became sedentary first, and then they started animal domestication.

02:54They also question the traditional idea that organized societies followed the development of agriculture.

03:01These ancient sites suggest that organized communities existed before agriculture, possibly with cultic or communal rituals.

03:14These structures suggest complex, multipurpose functions, rather than just religious ones.

03:20People gathered in these places for discussion and storytelling, fostering a collective identity.

03:28These buildings might mark the beginnings of a cohesive community, showing the emergence of horizontal hierarchies and knowledge sharing.

03:37Let's move to the other side of the world. Mexico's 1,500-year-old D'Unknown Pyramids are worth talking about.

03:46These pyramids have stood strong for all these centuries, all thanks to a secret ingredient from the prickly pear cactus.

03:55With its help, indigenous builders crafted these ancient marvels.

04:00Gray volcanic rock pyramids rise like a mini mountain range.

04:04As we get closer, it becomes clear that skilled hands etched identical steps into the hard rock, forming a staircase of the largest pyramid.

04:14The two smaller pyramids, called the House of the Wind and the House of the Longest Night, share the same human touch.

04:22Legend has it that these structures hid treasures.

04:26But it wasn't until Mexican archaeologists started digging there in the early 2000s that the secrets began to unravel.

04:34The House of the Thirteen Heavens was built around 540 BCE to keep track of time.

04:41After all, it wasn't so easy for ancient people to keep track of dates in the days before clocks and calendars.

04:47Instead, they looked at the skies and celestial objects.

04:52Think of the pyramid as their own cosmic calendar.

04:56Its corners matched up with solstices and important dates for planting and harvesting.

05:01When you stand on the steps these days, the sun lines up perfectly with the corresponding corner.

05:10But these pyramids aren't just about telling time.

05:12Kiraz and Zepeda, archaeologists on a mission, are trying to piece together the clues.

05:18They've recovered a few artifacts, and that's how they've learned that the ancient builders used the sticky substance from prickly pear cactus leaves to hold their creations together.

05:28This ancient technique is still used by some indigenous people today.

05:33One surprise after another.

05:35The House of the Thirteen Heavens reveals a skeleton older than the pyramid itself.

05:40Nearly a millennium older.

05:43This means that people carried this body with them for 950 years.

05:48It's another mystery.

05:52The next stop is Duna de Bologna.

05:55It's a Spanish sand dune hiding Roman ruins.

05:58This sand pile is near the edge of Europe, reaching out to the Mediterranean.

06:02It's more than 98 feet tall and 656 feet wide.

06:06As the winds move and the dune shifts, it reveals pieces of history hidden deep within it.

06:12Climate change boosts those winds, moving the dune even more.

06:17As it migrates, it shows us traces of people who used to live here.

06:22Archaeologists have been busy digging around, and they've found ancient remains.

06:27Imagine exploring a sandy maze and stumbling upon these tombs filled with history.

06:33The sand has acted as a protector, preserving bones, jewelry, and arrowheads.

06:39But that's not all.

06:42Nearby, there's an archaeological site from the 2nd century BCE.

06:47That's when the Romans were hanging out here.

06:50They had a whole city down there, complete with baths, a theater, and a temple.

06:55And it was built on top of an older, Phoenician settlement.

07:01An earthquake shook things up a long time ago, and people left the city.

07:06For centuries, it lay hidden under the sand.

07:10Modern historians and archaeologists have found no trace of it.

07:14For centuries, it lay hidden under the sand.

07:18Modern historians and archaeologists are excited about what else this shifting landscape will reveal.

07:25Fingers crossed that this sandy time capsule stays safe and keeps sharing its stories with generations to come.

07:32In Peru, archaeologists are exploring the 3,000-year-old Condors Passageway.

07:39A what?

07:40Okay, so archaeologists were digging around a place called Chavan de Huantar, where the Chavan people lived.

07:49This place is around 190 miles away from Lima, Peru's capital.

07:54So, the Chavan people were advanced artists.

07:58They loved drawing birds and wild cats in their paintings.

08:02And they went way back, even before the Inca Empire became a big deal.

08:07They were some of the first societies that settled down and started farming in Peru's highlands of the Andes Mountains.

08:14That's more than 2,000 years before the Incas showed up.

08:18Archaeologists found a secret passage in one of the temple buildings.

08:23They called it the Condors Passageway.

08:26It was a hidden hallway that had been locked away for ages.

08:30Lara Croft would love it there.

08:33This passage leads to other rooms inside the temple.

08:36It gives us a peek into what life was like then.

08:39Inside this hidden hallway, the researchers found some neat stuff.

08:44Like a big piece of pottery weighing as much as a big bag of potatoes, and decorated with a drawing of a condor's head and wings.

08:53The condor, by the way, is a power symbol for the ancient Andeans.

08:58Archaeologists also found some pottery.

09:01All of this stuff was discovered in May 2022, when the entrance to the hidden passage was finally opened.

09:08Pretty new.

09:10The temple complex where they found these ancient items has other structures, like terraces.

09:15And there's still more to uncover.

09:18The tricky thing is going forward in these hidden passages.

09:22The archaeologists had to send in cameras mounted on robots to explore them first.

09:27They didn't want to risk messing up the ancient building or, um, getting stuck in there.

09:32Let's wait and see what else they'll uncover.

09:35That's it for today.

09:37So, hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like and share it with your friends.

09:42Or, if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side!

Category

Transcript

Recommended