American archaeologists from the University of South Florida have discovered an ancient stone bridge in a submerged cave on the Spanish island of Mallorca (also known as Mallorca) in the Mediterranean. The find helps clarify when human development began in these areas. The study was published in the scientific journal magazine Communication Earth and Environment (CEE).
The team found a bridge over six metres long in Genovis Cave, a discovery that scientists say shows that early settlers knew about underground water sources and created the infrastructure to use them.
The island of Mallorca is the sixth largest island in the Mediterranean. Despite its size, its territory was one of the last to be inhabited by humans as the region developed.
Initial studies suggested that humans had set foot on the shores of Mallorca 9,000 years ago, but this hypothesis was not proven reliable. Later researchers used charcoal, ash and bones to establish that the site was inhabited around 4,000 years ago.
By analyzing mineral deposits and traces of paint on the bridge, scientists found that the structure was built more than 6,000 years ago, almost 2,000 years older than previous estimates.
According to archaeologists, their discoveries will help fill in gaps in the picture of human settlement in the Mediterranean.
Earlier scientists I understand 300 amphorae of wine, oil and sauce found in the wreckage of an ancient Roman ship that sank off the coast of Majorca.
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Source: Gazeta
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