Friday, September 27, 2013

7000 Year Old Bulgarian Defenses



Why such robust defenses 7000 years ago when the world still lacked truly mobile armies or the local concentrations, or at least we think so. The early buildup of powerful fortifications tells us much of local conditions then. These do not look like trade factories such as we locate on the coastal littorals of the Mediterranean. They are likely war factories such as medieval Europe.


It is important to know that this is the standard to be unearthed elsewhere in this region simply because it cannot be unique.


The Hungarian Danube Southern Ukraine region has been dismissed far too easily, yet its early history before been overwhelmed by nomadic horsemen was agricultural and well settled and surely organized to a greater degree that imagined.


Dry spell reveals 7,000 year old defense wall in Bulgaria




The dry spell blanketing Bulgaria for the past two months has resulted in an unexpected archaeological discovery, with the remains of a 7000-year-old defensive wall emerging from the waters of the Ticha accumulation lake near the town of Shoumen in northeastern Bulgaria.

The wall is more than five meters tall, made of rocks that are being held together by clay. The wall has an arrowslit and appears to be better built than other fortifications dating back to the same period in this part of Europe, historian Stefan Chohadjiev from Veliko Turnovo University told Bulgarian National Television.


On the southern approach of the hill, the fortification is at its strongest, with three parallel lines of defence built to repel attackers. The inhabitants of the stronghold appear to have been a frequent target of attacks, this being the most likely reason why its defences have been built up, instead of featuring only the more traditional moat, according to Chohadjiev.


Remains of a village that had been inhabited for several centuries can be found inside the wall – most likely, it was the stronghold of the local warlords who ruled the surrounding vale, Chohadjiev said. The items found on the site, including luxury items (marble and jade jewellery) and military equipment, appear to confirm such a hypothesis, he said.


The wall had been rebuilt at least once, after parts of it collapsed inward, likely as a result of an earthquake, destroying several nearby homes.


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