A Russian-German archaeological team has discovered an “incredible” 8,000-year-old fortress hidden in the fascinating Siberian desert of Russia.
According to Heritage Daily, this is the oldest fortress ever excavated, featuring complex defensive structures surrounding an 8,000-year-old settlement.
The fortress spans two clusters of ancient settlement structures known as Amnya I and Amnya II.
The desolate land containing the remains of the world’s oldest fortress – (Photo: Nikita Golovanov).
Amnya I includes surface remnants such as dikes and moats surrounding a promontory, along with 10 depressions that are the remains of houses.
Another ten house depressions were discovered approximately 50 meters to the east, belonging to the Amnya II settlement.
This invaluable archaeological discovery results from the efforts of a scientific team led by Dr. Henny Piezonka from the Institute of Prehistoric Archaeology at the Free University of Berlin (Germany), in collaboration with associates from the Institute of History and Archaeology at the Russian Academy of Sciences, Ural Federal University (Russia), and Christian-Albrechts University (Germany).
The excavations also uncovered 45 ceramic vessels within the complex, including pointed and flat forms that represent two distinct traditional pottery styles of ancient Siberian civilizations.
The 8,000-year dating of the fortress and settlement was established through radiocarbon dating, confirming this site as a significant world heritage site – the oldest fortress known to date.
Stratigraphic and other paleoenvironmental investigations by the research team also revealed that the residents of this region in western Siberia had a complex lifestyle based on the abundant resources of the taiga forests.
This is just one of countless fascinating discoveries from the desolate lands of modern Russia.
From the mysterious and enchanting Siberia, archaeologists, anthropologists, and paleontologists from around the world have unearthed numerous remnants and treasures of ancient peoples, as well as rare specimens belonging to ancient human species and many extinct animals.
