Found: Europe's oldest civilisation

[emad]

By David Keys, Archaeology Correspondent
11 June 2005


Archaeologists have discovered Europe's oldest civilisation, a network of dozens of temples, 2,000 years older than Stonehenge and the Pyramids.

More than 150 gigantic monuments have been located beneath the fields and cities of modern-day Germany, Austria and Slovakia. They were built 7,000 years ago, between 4800BC and 4600BC. Their discovery, revealed today by The Independent, will revolutionise the study of prehistoric Europe, where an appetite for monumental architecture was thought to have developed later than in Mesopotamia and Egypt.

In all, more than 150 temples have been identified. Constructed of earth and wood, they had ramparts and palisades that stretched for up to half a mile. They were built by a religious people who lived in communal longhouses up to 50 metres long, grouped around substantial villages. Evidence suggests their economy was based on cattle, sheep, goat and pig farming.

Their civilisation seems to have died out after about 200 years and the recent archaeological discoveries are so new that the temple building culture does not even have a name yet.

http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/story.jsp?story=645976

[AngryAmish]

1. This is cool

I wonder what other mysteries of old civilizations are out there?

[LiberallyInclined]

6. check out graham hancock's website-

he's had some interesting stuff on the discovery channel-

http://www.grahamhancock.com/news/index.php

[AngryAmish]

9. Graham Hancock is a wonderful writer

The man can really write a compelling story. However, the man is either a complete crackpot or a fraud. Many of his theories are very similar to the stuff in DiVinci Code and are proven frauds. However, I still have read a few of his books because it is fun.

[LiberallyInclined]

10. I haven't read his stuff-

I'm only familiar with him thru the series on the Discovery channel; and although some of the stuff he says is kinda screwy, the general idea behind some of it is rather compelling- mostly that which concerns the idea of much greater civilization much earlier than thought...prior to the end of the last ice age, when the ocean levels rose 400 ft.- which would have inundated a great deal of what was previously coastal areas, where civilizations normally develop.

[Bridget Burke]

12. Interesting website....

A critical mind is always useful but among his links is this one to Archeology Magazine's site. That august publication frowns on odd theories--but Tanis was excavated in Egypt in the late 30's.

www.archaeology.org/0505/abstracts/tanis.html

(No mention of Indiana Jones.)

[GOPBasher]

2. This stuff interests me a lot.

I should take an Archeology class. Thanks for posting! :bounce:

[SmokingJacket]

3. fascinating...

and though I love the British newspapers, they really skimp on photos! I'm going to have to Google this...

(I wanted to be an archeologist when I was a kid, but my mother convinced me that everything had already been found!!!! :grr:)

[Mizmoon]

4. Fascinating

But I thought the earth was less than 50 years old. That's what my pracher told me :)

[sniffa]

5. so that's the 'oLd europe' i've heard about

:idea:

[Heidi]

7. Excellent info!

Thank you so much for posting this! :hi:

[oly]

8. I just checked Genesis. This must be Satan planted stuff to

fool the good Christians. When will these evil science types get it?

[Bridget Burke]

11. Another article from the Independent here....

http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/story.jsp?story=645972

There are a lot of blank spaces in human prehistory. And many interesting finds yet to be made--without reliance on Atlantis or Aliens.

[Kellanved]

13. I guess so. Nevermind that it was found in the early 90s

I'll skip the scheduled jab at the British media ;-)

[Felix Mala]

14. In which building was Strom Thurmond born?