The Oldest Cities in Europe

Archaeologists in Bulgaria found the oldest prehistoric city in Europe. This ancient city is located near the modern city of Provadia, the city is believed to be the center of the salt industry in the past.

The excavation site was started in 2005. In these excavations, the archaeologists also found the remains of a two-story, a series of tools for worship, as well as parts and gate structures and fortifications.

The ancient fortifications were discovered near Provadia, about 410km northeast of Sofia. (Picture from: http://www.aljazeera.com/)

Vasil Nikolov, a professor from Bulgaria’s National Institute of Archaeology, said the stone walls excavated by his team near the town of Provadia are estimated to date between 4700 and 4200 B.C. He said the walls, which are 6 feet (3 meters) high and 4.5 feet (2 meters) thick, are believed to be the earliest and most massive fortifications from Europe’s prehistory. "New samples of the excavations have been sent to the University of Cologne, Germany, for further evaluation," Nikolov said.

An estimated 350 people live in this city. If the forecast years is true, then the city has been there first 1,500 years before the ancient Greek civilization. Salt was a valuable commodity at the time, the experts, to explain how the city is lined stone walls to protect the city. Residents make salt by boiling water mountains, then made ​​into briquettes and used to preserve meat.

Bulgaria, a Balkan country of 7.3 million, hosts numerous Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Bronze Age settlement mounds as well as significant remains of Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine urban centers.

The discovery in the northeastern city of Bulgaria is a bright spot in the nearby gold hoard discovered almost 40 years ago. The collection of 3,000 gold pieces unearthed 40 years ago near the Black Sea city of Varna. It is believed to be the oldest gold treasure in the world.

The remains date back to the fifth millennium BC. (Picture from: http://www.abc.net.au/)

Meanwhile, a small cemetery that was discovered earlier this year is still studied to explain its association with the city. "We're not talking about a city like cities in Greece, ancient Rome, medieval settlements, but on what is believed to be the archaeological city in the fifth millennium BC," he said.

Nikolov expects more finds next summer when his team will return but has complained about inadequate government funding. "We wouldn't be able to continue without private donations," Nikolov said, naming the New York-based Gipson foundation, which provided most of the funds for this year's excavation. *** [NG | JAM | PIKIRAN RAKYAT 08112012]

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