Scientists have discovered a 7,000-year-old stone road buried in a layer of sea mud attached to the remains of an ancient settlement near the coast in Croatia.
Researchers from the University of Zadar in Croatia discovered the ancient stone road while they were cleaning up deposits of marine mud from the shores of the Solin area on the island of Korčula.
According to archaeologists, this ancient road probably connected the submerged settlement of the Hvar civilization with the coast of Korčula.
They said the stone slabs, which were part of a four-metre-wide platform, were apparently carefully fitted together.
Using radiocarbon dating of preserved wood found near the site, it has been estimated that the entire settlement may have been built around 4900 BC.
Archaeologists believe that ancient people of that time traveled along the road that connected the artificial island to the coast, built about seven thousand years ago.
In a statement on Facebook, scientists from the University of Zadar said, “Archaeologists in underwater research at the sunken Neolithic site of Solin on the island of Korčula have found remains that have surprised them.”
The statement said: ‘Under the layers of sea mud they discovered a road that connected a submerged prehistoric settlement of the Hvar civilization to the coast of the island of Korčula.’
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Scientists speculate that the road, now about five meters below water level, was part of an active site in its heyday.
Archaeologists have also discovered other ‘strange structures’ in the same area.
They have discovered another settlement similar to Solen, in Gradina Bay, on the other side of the island of Korčula.
Diving and exploring in the central part of Gradina Bay, at a depth of four to five meters, the existence of another such settlement has been discovered, located in Solen.
Artifacts such as razors and stone axes as well as sacrificial fragments have also been found at the site.
Experts said the Huar civilization, one of the original groups of islanders, were living in the same area at the time.
According to the Miami Herald, the people of that time showed their ingenuity by building a stone road to the artificial island.
The region is known for domestic settlements dating back to the Stone Age.