The World’s Oldest Fortress Was Found In A Remote Region Of Siberia, Where It Was Built By Hunter-Gatherers About 8,000 Years Ago
There are many ancient fortresses that have withstood the test of time. Although they may no longer possess the grand structural splendor they once had, they remain some of the most awe-inspiring architectural feats that you’ll ever see.
Recently, a team of archaeologists discovered the world’s oldest fortress, which was erected around 8,000 years ago in a remote region of Siberia.
The fortress was located in western Siberia at an archaeological site called Amnya. Western Siberia is a region characterized by dense forests. In Eurasia, Amnya is known as the northernmost fortification of the Stone Age.
The prehistoric fortified settlement is just one out of several in the area, featuring banks, ditches, and fencing created with a series of wooden stakes.
Previously, experts had assumed that the constructions were too advanced to have been built by the hunter-gatherers of the time, believing that monumental architecture emerged only after agricultural-based societies were established.
However, the latest findings have revealed that people in hunter-gatherer communities were capable of building complex defensive structures around their settlements.
Fortifications built by foraging groups appeared occasionally throughout other parts of the world, but in western Siberia, such a phenomenon was unheard of until now.
Researchers from Germany’s Freie Universität Berlin collected samples from Amnya to analyze. Through radiocarbon dating, they confirmed the age of the site and revealed more details of the lifestyle that the inhabitants of western Siberia led.
They fished in the Amnya River, used spears to hunt animals, and preserved their food in elaborately decorated pottery.
Olonkho – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only
It is unclear why exactly the fortifications were needed, but the bounty of resources in the area seemed to have led to the construction of permanent fortified settlements.
Many hunter-gatherer groups in western Siberia were probably in competition for these resources and surrounded their spaces with defensive structures as protection from rivals. At the same time that the fortresses emerged, the region also experienced an influx of people.
Furthermore, evidence from the site indicated that the settlement had been destroyed by fire multiple times, which is thought to be related to violent conflict.
Overall, the new discoveries have challenged the long-held beliefs of early human societies, proving that permanent settlements were not only associated with farming communities.
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