A Monumental Prehistoric Discovery In Siberia Rewrites Human History, Scientists Say [View all]
New evidence unearthed from ancient fortresses in Siberia is totally rewriting our understanding of how complex societies evolved.
Radiocarbon dating of artifacts has revealed that Eastern Russia’s Amnya I and Amnya II sites are around 8,000 years old—centuries older than similar structures in Europe.
Despite their age, the settlements are by no means basic, consisting of roughly 20 houses dug into the ground to protect from sometimes-frigid temperatures, and fortified with stakes and trenches.
Once occupied by the hunter-gatherers who roamed the boreal forests of the East Siberian taiga, the houses—and the technology and pottery excavated around them—are calling into question the long-held idea that agriculture was necessary for the development of complex social structures and settlements.
https://www.vice.com/en/article/88xbxv/a-monumental-prehistoric-discovery-in-siberia-rewrites-human-history-scientists-say