7-THOUSAND-YEAR OLD UNDERWATER ROAD DISCOVERED BY RESEARCHERS

Beneath the seas and other waters lie lost treasures. There have been finds of historic crusader swords and ancient canoes. Archaeologists have been investigating the stunning Adriatic Sea lately. This sea, which is sandwiched between Italy and the Balkans, was the centre of ancient marine activity. According to a fascinating discovery made public on Facebook by the University of Zadar, archaeologists have discovered a road that dates back approximately 7,000 years. The road, which is now underwater, provides information about the late Neolithic Hvar people who once inhabited the area.

It was found close to the Croatian island of Korčula. There used to be an artificial island close by. The artificial island was found in 2021 and belonged to the Hvar culture, a late Neolithic local group. Soline is the name given to the settlement. This ancient culture's name is shared by the Croatian island of Hvar today. The most recent find is a roughly 13-foot-wide stone-paved road that is submerged in 16 feet of seawater. It appears that the road once connected Korčula and Soline.

Wood remnants from the Soline settlement could be used to date wood using radiocarbon dating. This indicated the age of the site and the nearby road to be approximately 7,000 years old, as the wood was from approximately 4900 BCE. Mate Parica of the University of Zadar told Live Science, "We found late-Neolithic ornamented pottery, a stone axe, bone artefacts, flint knives, and arrowheads." "We were able to attribute this site to Hvar culture thanks to pottery findings." The culture of the ancient Hvar was intriguing, though it remained somewhat ambiguous. The oldest known European representation of a boat is among the remarkable achievements of these people that archaeologists have uncovered, and this new road is just one more.