Archaeologist discovers 6,000 year-old island settlement off Croatian coast

[Aiken_Drumn]

Archaeologist discovers 6,000 year-old island settlement off Croatian coast

Archaeologist Mate Parica was examining satellite images of Croatia's coastline when he spotted something unusual.

"I thought: maybe it is natural, maybe not," said Parica, a professor at the University of Zadar.

The image showed a large, shallow area on the seabed jutting out from the eastern shore of the island of Korcula.

Parica and a colleague decided to dive at the site and discovered what they believe is a Neolithic settlement from around 4,500 years BC, built on a small piece of land that was connected to the main island by a narrow strip.

The pair found the remains of stone walls which had surrounded the settlement, as well as tools and other objects used by the inhabitants.

"We found some ceramic objects and flint knives," he said.

Marta Kalebota who runs the archaeological collection in the Korcula town museum, said the settlement's location was highly unusual.

"We are not aware at the moment of a similar finding elsewhere that a Neolithic settlement was built on an islet connected with a narrow strip of land," she said.

Parica also said the island settlement discovery was atypical and that Neolithic finds were mostly made in caves.

"The fortunate thing is that this area, unlike most parts of the Mediterranean, is safe from big waves as many islands protect the coast. That certainly helped preserve the site from natural destruction," he said.

 

[El_Machinae]

Oh, as a forum-goer, can I ask a favor? These types of things, science stories but without an extended conversation starter, can you pop them into the newsworthy science thread instead?

[posting as one of the forumers whose posting of science stories helped force the creation of the sub-forum in the first place]

 

[Aiken_Drumn]

I hear you, and I will make sure I add commentary in the future.

Personally I dislike both the subcategories of OT, and wish they were all rolled back into one (virtually all are dead or on life support anyway). The thread you mention, as it obfuscates interested new stories.

Posters come to the thread and don't just discuss a single topic and will randomly quote and reply old stuff.

OT is all long long serial threads with the same rehashed arguments. It needs more variety!

Finally, if anywhere, this should have been in @Birdjaguar's Atlantis thread

 

[Birdjaguar]

If one is anticipating prolonged discussion of a topic, a new thread is likely OK. If the story is more "Hey this might interest some you to explore on your own", then the Newsworthy Science is best. I think this post is more suited to Newsworthy Science. I will move it and remove the thread.

But, if the OP had more introduction and created a basis for ongoing discussion, I could change my mind.

 

[Snowygerry]

What a lousy start location for these people, alone on a island like that, hope there was seafood

"We are not aware at the moment of a similar finding elsewhere that a Neolithic settlement was built on an islet connected with a narrow strip of land," she said.

Seems a good defendable location - certainly it happened a lot in later times.

Neolithic People Made Fake Islands More Than 5,600 Years Ago | Live Science

Hundreds of tiny islands around Scotland didn't arise naturally. They're fakes that were constructed out of boulders, clay and timbers by Neolithic people about 5,600 years ago, a new study finds.

 

[João III]

If one is anticipating prolonged discussion of a topic, a new thread is likely OK. If the story is more "Hey this might interest some you to explore on your own", then the Newsworthy Science is best. I think this post is more suited to Newsworthy Science. I will move it and remove the thread.

But, if the OP had more introduction and created a basis for ongoing discussion, I could change my mind.

Perhaps discussion of a long-lost island settlement belongs in the Atlantis thread

 

[Birdjaguar]

If there interest shown here, I will move the posts. So far, not much.

 

[Quintillus]

Certainly interesting. The area would have natural protection from other, potential hostile, humans. But being surrounded by saltwater sounds less than ideal. I'll be curious if there's an update in a year or two.

Side question: Where is the Noteworthy Science thread? I don't recall seeing it before. But I am kind of inclined to agree with Aiken about serial threads versus individual threads. If something is in a serial thread that isn't one of the very few I check on occasion, I'm very unlikely to see, and thus comment, on it. And I probably wouldn't check on Newsworthy Science, it's too broad and I don't consider myself sufficiently scientifically educated. Archaeology, or marine archaeology, though? I'd be checking every update to that. I was reading about Heracleion a few weeks ago, fascinating stuff.

 

[E.man]

There's quite a few ancient towns/cities under the current sea level.