Ancient fortress found in Siberia

Scientists from an international team have found the oldest fortified settlement in a remote region of Siberia. The discovery is reported by Antiquity magazine.

Archaeologists analyzed samples from the excavation site of the Amnya settlement in the Beloyarsk region of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, which is a Stone Age fortress. Based on the results of radiocarbon dating, it turned out that the age of the fort is 8 thousand. In other words, it is the oldest known settlement of this type.

At the moment, about 10 fortified Stone Age sites with pit houses are known, which are surrounded by earthen walls and wooden pillars, which indicates the advanced defensive and architectural capabilities of those times.

This find challenged the traditional view that permanent settlements with protective structures developed only in farming societies. It also refutes the idea that agriculture and animal husbandry became the prerequisites for social complexity.

In addition, the discovery does not confirm previous assumptions that competition and conflict did not exist in hunter-gatherer societies.