An international team of archaeologists has found the world’s oldest known fort which dates back to 8,000 years in a remote region of Siberia.
Key facts
- The team of researchers conducted fieldwork at the fortified settlement of Amnya which is said to be the northernmost Stone Age fort in Eurasia in 2019.
- It was through archaeological examinations at Amnya and following the analysis of the samples collected at the site by radiocarbon dating that the team was able to ascertain it as the world’s oldest-known fort.
- The site is located along the Amnya River in western Siberia and includes around 20 scattered pit-house depressions which were divided into two sections – Amnya I and Amnya II.
- The study also suggests that the prehistoric inhabitants caught fish from the Amnya River and hunted elk and reindeer using bone and stone-tipped spears.
- At the time when the structure was constructed, pit houses would be surrounded by earthen walls and wooden palisade.
- This indicates hunter-gatherers made complex defence structures, much before than once believed.
- The new findings reshape our understanding of early human societies and challenges the popular belief that fortresses were built with the advent of agriculture.
