The Oldest Settlement in Europe

The oldest settlement in Europe, so far at least, may present more questions than answers.

A team led by Vasil Nikolov of Bulgaria’s National Institute of Archaeology discovered thick stone walls near the town of Provadia, Bulgaria and have estimated that they were built somewhere between 6300 to 6800 years ago. These walls are 10 feet (3 meters) high and more than 6 feet (2 meters) thick, with a diameter of about 328 feet (100 meters). They enclosed a settlement of two-story houses and obviously served as a fortification, much like the walls of later castles and walled towns.

The team also discovered parts of a gate and a series of pits apparently constructed for ritual use. The walls and other artifacts were dated by radiocarbon testing.

Nikolev believes the settlement housed about 350 people who produced salt by boiling brine from nearby salt springs which was used for trade. During the town’s lifetime, salt was a valuable commodity and anyone who could produce it in any quantity found a ready market for it. Copper needles and pottery found in graves at the site indicate that the people of the town were relatively wealthy, which supports Nikolev’s theory.

Bulgaria is an archaeological hotspot with many prehistoric settlement mounds in addition to the remains of Greek, Roman and Byzantine settlements.
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The Provadia site does present some interesting problems, however. The houses were two stories high. Were there earlier settlements built of one-story dwellings which may have predated the two-story houses of Provadia? It would be a little odd if two-story buildings, which are much more difficult to build, actually were constructed before single-story homes.

The second question revolves around the wall itself. Was this location so dangerous that the people who lived there felt the need to construct that protective wall?

Nikolev’s team has been working at the site since 2005. Perhaps, as they expand their excavations, some of these questions will be answered.

There is a detailed report here