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Mysterious MEGASTRUCTURE unearthed in Botoșani County: 'The object was built in a specific way'
Researchers have discovered new clues about the functioning of large prehistoric settlements, and their study, published in the journal PLOS One, focused on a special type of building – megastructures, reported Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU).
TL;DR
- Researchers discovered a prehistoric megastructure in the small settlement of Stăuceni, Romania, dating back to the Cucuteni-Trypillia culture.
- This megastructure, approximately 350 square meters, is significantly larger than surrounding residential buildings.
- Similar structures have been found in larger settlements in Ukraine, but this is one of the oldest known examples in the region and the first in a smaller settlement.
- The settlements, which could house up to 15,000-30,000 people, show no signs of a central leader or clear centers of power.
- The function of these megastructures is still debated, with possibilities including meeting places or sites of ritual significance.
- Archaeological research utilized geomagnetometry and targeted excavations to study the settlement.
- The findings suggest that key elements of social life were already integrated into smaller communities during this period.