Archaeologists Have Discovered a 7,000-Year-Old Well That Proves Neolithic Craftsmen Were More Sophisticated Than Previously Believed

Researchers have found a 7,000-year-old wooden well, the
oldest wooden structure ever discovered in Europe. The Neolithic
structure is made of oak and hazel wood, which are indigenous to
the East Bohemian region where it was discovered, near Ostrov,
Czech Republic.

The well was discovered after being submerged underwater for
centuries, which actually helped to preserve it, Karol Bayer, vice
dean of the Faculty of Restoration at University of Pardubice said
in a press release. “Now we cannot let it dry out,” he added, “or
the well would be destroyed.” What’s the solution to maintaining
the structure? Sugar, believe it or not.

Experts at the University will undertake the painstaking process
of gradually replacing the water around the well with liquid that
has an increased sugar concentration, which will help to prevent
the wood from warping or otherwise becoming deformed as it dries
out. It is expected to take several months for the process to be
finished.

According to a paper published in the Journal of
Archaeological Science‘s March 2020 edition, the well,
which measures about two and a half feet wide and four and a half
feet tall, reveals that the farmers who built it had considerable
carpentry skills, especially considering the rudimentary tools they
would have possessed at the time. The oak timbers were designed
with grooved corner posts and inserted planks.

Scientists were able to determine exactly when the well was
built based on advanced dendrochronology studies, dating the age of
the tree-rings precisely. Upon close inspection, experts were able
to date the trees that were cut to build the structure as being
from between 5256 to 5255 BC, while the corner posts turn out to
have been from previously felled tree-trunks, which scientists can
say were cut in the autumn or winter of 5259 to 5258 BC. Detailed
analyses of the residues from small animals and wildlife found
inside the structure will help scientists to more accurately
reconstruct and understand the environment of the Neolithic period,
shedding light on how farmers first introduced non-native species
to the area.

The post Archaeologists Have Discovered a 7,000-Year-Old
Well That Proves Neolithic Craftsmen Were More Sophisticated Than
Previously Believed appeared first on artnet News.