A prehistoric settlement of massive size has been discovered in the Banat region of northeastern Serbia. Archaeologists date back the previously known settlement to some 7,000 years, much later than the Late Neolithic period.&nbsp;

"This discovery is of outstanding importance, as hardly any larger Late Neolithic settlements are known in the Serbian Banat region," research leader Martin Furholt from the Institute of Prehistoric and Protohistoric Archaeology (IPPA) at Kiel University in Germany, said in a press release.

The settlement is located near the Tamis River in the Banat region of northeastern Serbia, a landlocked country in the Balkans.

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The team managed to fully map the extent of the geographical area of the settlement, determining that it covers an area of roughly 11-13 hectares. It is also surrounded by four and six ditches on each side.

"A settlement of this size is spectacular. The geophysical data also gives us a clear idea of the structure of the site 7,000 years ago," Fynn Wilkes, co-team leader of the German-Serbian research team with the IPPA, said in the release.
<img alt="Prehistoric settlement " data-align="center" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="4f3cf033-6f5a-46bf-a0dc-27f989db98cb" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20-%202024-05-02T170327.785.png" />
During the mapping of the site, archaeologists also found some artefacts that show a link to the Vinca culture, which dates back to between 5400 BC and 4400 BC. The Vinca culture is a prehistoric group that occupied a region of southeastern-central Europe during this period.&nbsp;

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Its territory now primarily corresponds to Serbia and Kosovo, as well as parts of Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro and North Macedonia. Among other distinctive characteristics, the culture is known for producing some of the largest settlements in prehistoric Europe.

The newly uncovered settlement is also associated with the Vinca culture based on the material found at the site. The site also appears to have been strongly influenced by the regional Banat prehistoric culture.&nbsp;

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"This is also remarkable, as only a few settlements with material from the Banat culture are known from what is now Serbia," Wilkes said.

Further investigations of the site are still going on, but the discovery of the settlement itself will be of great help to researchers to better understand prehistoric societies in the region.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

A prehistoric settlement of massive size has been discovered in the Banat region of northeastern Serbia. Archaeologists date back the previously known settlement to some 7,000 years, much later than the Late Neolithic period.

A prehistoric settlement of massive size has been discovered in the Banat region of northeastern Serbia. Archaeologists date back the previously known settlement to some 7,000 years, much later than the Late Neolithic period. "This discovery is of outstanding importance, as hardly any larger Late Neolithic settlements are known in the Serbian Banat region," research leader Martin Furholt from the Institute of Prehistoric and Protohistoric Archaeology (IPPA) at Kiel University in Germany, said in a press release. The settlement is located near the Tamis River in the Banat region of northeastern Serbia, a landlocked country in the Balkans. Also Read | ISRO captures high-resolution images of Chandrayaan-3's Vikram lander, Pragyan rover resting on Moon The team managed to fully map the extent of the geographical area of the settlement, determining that it covers an area of roughly 11-13 hectares. It is also surrounded by four and six ditches on each side. "A settlement of this size is spectacular. The geophysical data also gives us a clear idea of the structure of the site 7,000 years ago," Fynn Wilkes, co-team leader of the German-Serbian research team with the IPPA, said in the release. During the mapping of the site, archaeologists also found some artefacts that show a link to the Vinca culture, which dates back to between 5400 BC and 4400 BC. The Vinca culture is a prehistoric group that occupied a region of southeastern-central Europe during this period. Also Read | Big! World's highest astronomical observatory is finally open and sits atop Chile's Andes Mountains Its territory now primarily corresponds to Serbia and Kosovo, as well as parts of Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro and North Macedonia. Among other distinctive characteristics, the culture is known for producing some of the largest settlements in prehistoric Europe. The newly uncovered settlement is also associated with the Vinca culture based on the material found at the site. The site also appears to have been strongly influenced by the regional Banat prehistoric culture. Also Read | 'Surprise'! Scientists discover earliest known galaxies since about beginning of time "This is also remarkable, as only a few settlements with material from the Banat culture are known from what is now Serbia," Wilkes said. Further investigations of the site are still going on, but the discovery of the settlement itself will be of great help to researchers to better understand prehistoric societies in the region. (With inputs from agencies)

Archaeologists discover a massive 7000-year-old pre-historic settlement in Serbia

Picture a leisurely walk along the beach with your family. Now, imagine that peaceful stroll turning into a surprising adventure. That's exactly what happened to Christopher Rees, a 39-year-old man from Bridgend, while walking with his seven-year-old son, Dylan, at Dunraven Bay in the Vale of Glamorgan last October. Enjoying the beach, they stumbled upon something unexpected - part of a bone sticking out of the sand, according to BBC reports.

"Dylan loves learning about history and going to the museums, so he was excited to see what it was," Christopher told the media outlet.

Initially, the 7-year-old thought the bones were from a 'dinosaur', and the family decided to take some of it home. However, when Dylan showed his discoveries to his mother, she became suspicious.

"She said, 'That looks like human bones', and at first, I didn't think much of it as I thought it may have been an animal bone, but then I started to question myself," Christopher told BBC.

"My sister has a few friends who are doctors and vets. So the group chat was in full swing and it was only a few days later during Sunday dinner that I was speaking to her and she said 'yeah it looks like a human bone'."

Christopher quickly contacted the police and told them everything.

"I was panicking. I thought 'What have I got myself into?'

"I explained everything to the police and where I found it."

South Wales Police looked around the area for a couple of days. Eventually, they confirmed that what Christopher and Dylan found were ancient remains.

"I told Dylan and he thought it was really cool," said Christopher.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/a-man-walking-his-dog-finds-a-70-million-year-old-bone-from-a-near-complete-dinosaur-fossil-690731">Also read |&nbsp;A man found a bone while walking his dog. What he discovered next was 'pre-historic'</a>

<h2>Earlier findings</h2>

Earlier, ancient human bones were found at the beach when an old wall collapsed. Tests on the bones indicated they could be from people who died in shipwrecks from the 16th to possibly the 18th centuries.

Historian Graham Loveluck-Edwards revealed two possibilities, "We know that in the prehistoric period, people in the area would often inter their dead in caves. We've got an example of that in Paviland over on the Gower," he said.

"We also have archaeological evidence of a pitched battle that took place near here in the 1st Century."

Also watch |&nbsp;Gravitas: Drug made from human bones forces addicts to dig up graves in Sierra Leone

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Edwards thought the shipwreck idea could be true. Also, in 2019, they found bones of six people who might have died in shipwrecks there. Additionally, in 2014, archaeologists found two leg bones on a cliff in Cwm Nash.

(With inputs from agencies)

&nbsp;

Picture a leisurely walk along the beach with your family. Now, imagine that peaceful stroll turning into a surprising adventure. That's exactly what happened to Christopher Rees, a 39-year-old man from Bridgend, while walking with his seven-year-old son, Dylan, at Dunraven Bay in the Vale of Glamorgan last October.

Picture a leisurely walk along the beach with your family. Now, imagine that peaceful stroll turning into a surprising adventure. That's exactly what happened to Christopher Rees, a 39-year-old man from Bridgend, while walking with his seven-year-old son, Dylan, at Dunraven Bay in the Vale of Glamorgan last October. Enjoying the beach, they stumbled upon something unexpected - part of a bone sticking out of the sand, according to BBC reports. "Dylan loves learning about history and going to the museums, so he was excited to see what it was," Christopher told the media outlet. Initially, the 7-year-old thought the bones were from a 'dinosaur', and the family decided to take some of it home. However, when Dylan showed his discoveries to his mother, she became suspicious. "She said, 'That looks like human bones', and at first, I didn't think much of it as I thought it may have been an animal bone, but then I started to question myself," Christopher told BBC. "My sister has a few friends who are doctors and vets. So the group chat was in full swing and it was only a few days later during Sunday dinner that I was speaking to her and she said 'yeah it looks like a human bone'." Christopher quickly contacted the police and told them everything. "I was panicking. I thought 'What have I got myself into?' "I explained everything to the police and where I found it." South Wales Police looked around the area for a couple of days. Eventually, they confirmed that what Christopher and Dylan found were ancient remains. "I told Dylan and he thought it was really cool," said Christopher. Also read | A man found a bone while walking his dog. What he discovered next was 'pre-historic' Earlier findings Earlier, ancient human bones were found at the beach when an old wall collapsed. Tests on the bones indicated they could be from people who died in shipwrecks from the 16th to possibly the 18th centuries. Historian Graham Loveluck-Edwards revealed two possibilities, "We know that in the prehistoric period, people in the area would often inter their dead in caves. We've got an example of that in Paviland over on the Gower," he said. "We also have archaeological evidence of a pitched battle that took place near here in the 1st Century." Also watch | Gravitas: Drug made from human bones forces addicts to dig up graves in Sierra Leone Edwards thought the shipwreck idea could be true. Also, in 2019, they found bones of six people who might have died in shipwrecks there. Additionally, in 2014, archaeologists found two leg bones on a cliff in Cwm Nash. (With inputs from agencies)

Family finds ‘dinosaur’ bones on UK beach; turns out they were ancient human remains

What was once thought to be a final resting place for dozens of giant marine reptiles, ichthyosaurs, which dominated the seas millions of years ago, could instead be an ancient maternity ward, a place where the prehistoric marine reptiles once gave birth. The fossils found in the United States’ of Nevada’s Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest have puzzled scientists for a long time which led to several hypotheses over the years.&nbsp;

On Monday, in a study published in the journal, ‘Current Biology’ researchers offer a new theory which is linked to the reproductive behaviour shared by several marine mammals today. The scientific name for prehistoric reptiles is Shonisaurus popularis which means lizard fish and could grow at least 50 feet long.&nbsp;

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“We present evidence that these ichthyosaurs died here in large numbers because they were migrating to this area to give birth for many generations across hundreds of thousands of years,” said the co-author of the study and curator at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Nicholas Pyenson, in a press release.&nbsp;

The fossils were excavated in the 1950s and found at least 37 of the ancient creatures had died at the same location over 200 million years ago. For this study, the massive skeletons were 3D scanned to create a detailed digital model, said the lead author Randy Irmis, chief curator and curator of palaeontology at the Natural History Museum of Utah.&nbsp;

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Subsequently, they found that the bones were preserved in different rock layers suggesting that the creatures could have died hundreds of thousands of years apart rather than all at once, said Pyenson. He added that the discovery of some tiny bones among the massive adult fossils was the breakthrough in the study, as the researchers realised they belonged to embryos and newborns.&nbsp;

“There are other examples of ichthyosaur embryos and newborns, but this is the first time we have strong evidence for reproductive grouping behaviour,” said Irmis, in an emailed statement to CNN. This behaviour is also linked to present-day whales who typically migrate across the ocean, where there are fewer predators, to breed and give birth. It is also noted that many species gather year after year along the same coastline.&nbsp;

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Researchers believe that the fossils are from the mothers and offspring that died there over the years, while other clues also helped rule out previous theories of a mass stranding event or ichthyosaurs being poisoned by the toxins from an algae bloom.&nbsp;

“We know this is something many large marine vertebrates exhibit in the present, so it makes sense that similar behaviour occurred in the past. But we really didn’t know how far back, especially with extinct animal groups like ichthyosaurs, that have no close living relatives,” said Irmis to CNN.&nbsp;

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What was once thought to be a final resting place for dozens of giant marine reptiles, ichthyosaurs, which dominated the seas millions of years ago, could instead be an ancient maternity ward, a place where the prehistoric marine reptiles once gave birth.

What was once thought to be a final resting place for dozens of giant marine reptiles, ichthyosaurs, which dominated the seas millions of years ago, could instead be an ancient maternity ward, a place where the prehistoric marine reptiles once gave birth. The fossils found in the United States’ of Nevada’s Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest have puzzled scientists for a long time which led to several hypotheses over the years. On Monday, in a study published in the journal, ‘Current Biology’ researchers offer a new theory which is linked to the reproductive behaviour shared by several marine mammals today. The scientific name for prehistoric reptiles is Shonisaurus popularis which means lizard fish and could grow at least 50 feet long. ALSO READ | In a first! Doctor may have saved a baby’s life by repairing heart using umbilical stem cells “We present evidence that these ichthyosaurs died here in large numbers because they were migrating to this area to give birth for many generations across hundreds of thousands of years,” said the co-author of the study and curator at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Nicholas Pyenson, in a press release. The fossils were excavated in the 1950s and found at least 37 of the ancient creatures had died at the same location over 200 million years ago. For this study, the massive skeletons were 3D scanned to create a detailed digital model, said the lead author Randy Irmis, chief curator and curator of palaeontology at the Natural History Museum of Utah. ALSO WATCH | WION Climate Tracker | Italy: Fish starved from lack of oxygen Subsequently, they found that the bones were preserved in different rock layers suggesting that the creatures could have died hundreds of thousands of years apart rather than all at once, said Pyenson. He added that the discovery of some tiny bones among the massive adult fossils was the breakthrough in the study, as the researchers realised they belonged to embryos and newborns. “There are other examples of ichthyosaur embryos and newborns, but this is the first time we have strong evidence for reproductive grouping behaviour,” said Irmis, in an emailed statement to CNN. This behaviour is also linked to present-day whales who typically migrate across the ocean, where there are fewer predators, to breed and give birth. It is also noted that many species gather year after year along the same coastline. ALSO READ | New nursery used by hammerhead sharks found near Galapagos islands Researchers believe that the fossils are from the mothers and offspring that died there over the years, while other clues also helped rule out previous theories of a mass stranding event or ichthyosaurs being poisoned by the toxins from an algae bloom. “We know this is something many large marine vertebrates exhibit in the present, so it makes sense that similar behaviour occurred in the past. But we really didn’t know how far back, especially with extinct animal groups like ichthyosaurs, that have no close living relatives,” said Irmis to CNN. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

What was once thought to be marine reptile death bed could be an ancient maternity ward: Study

Palaeontologists have unearthed the skull of a ferocious marine predator, that said to be the ancient ancestor of modern-day whales.&nbsp;

On Thursday (March 17), scientists unveiled the fossilized remains of the ancient whale which lived 36 million years ago in an ocean that covered part of what is now Peru.&nbsp;

Rodolfo Salas, who is the chief of palaeontology at Peru's National University of San Marcos told reporters that the well-preserved skull was dug up intact last year.&nbsp;

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The stunning fossilized remains were found from the bone-dry rocks of Peru's southern Ocucaje desert, with rows of long, pointy teeth that could feed on tuna, sharks and schools of sardines.&nbsp;

Scientists think the ancient mammal "Ocucaje Predator" was a basilosaurus, which is part of the aquatic cetacean family, whose contemporary descendants include whales, dolphins, and porpoises.&nbsp;

As per the textbooks, Basilosaurus means "king lizard". Although the animal was not a reptile but its long body might have moved like a giant snake.&nbsp;

Palaeontologist Mario Urbina, head of the team that discovered the skeleton, told news agency AFP, "We have presented the new Peruvian basilosaurus, it is the complete skull of an archaic whale that lived 36 million years ago."&nbsp;

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<img alt="Peru" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="54d01dd7-da92-4ecc-8f0e-038ac51d6d37" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Peru.jpg" />

The 36-million-year-old&nbsp;Basilosaurus&nbsp;whale fossil on display&nbsp;at the Museum of Natural History, in Lima, Peru. (Image credit: Reuters)

"This finding is very important because there are no other similar specimens discovered in the world," said Urbina, a researcher at the National University of San Marcos, in Lima.

Team member Rodolfo Salas-Gismondi explained the basilosaurus differs from other known ancient whale species by its size and the development of its teeth, both of which indicate the animal was likely at the top of the food chain.

"This is an extraordinary find because of its great state of preservation," he told AFP. "This animal was one of the largest predators of its time."

"At that time the Peruvian sea was warm," added Salas-Gismondi, who heads the Department of Vertebrate Paleontology at the Natural History Museum in Lima. "Thanks to this type of fossil, we can reconstruct the history of the Peruvian sea."&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Palaeontologists have unearthed the skull of a ferocious marine predator, that said to be the ancient ancestor of modern-day whales. On Thursday (March 17), scientists unveiled the fossilized remains of the ancient whale which lived 36 million years ago in an ocean that covered part of what is now Peru.

Palaeontologists have unearthed the skull of a ferocious marine predator, that said to be the ancient ancestor of modern-day whales. On Thursday (March 17), scientists unveiled the fossilized remains of the ancient whale which lived 36 million years ago in an ocean that covered part of what is now Peru. Rodolfo Salas, who is the chief of palaeontology at Peru's National University of San Marcos told reporters that the well-preserved skull was dug up intact last year. ALSO READ | Even a worm can make decisions, says a study The stunning fossilized remains were found from the bone-dry rocks of Peru's southern Ocucaje desert, with rows of long, pointy teeth that could feed on tuna, sharks and schools of sardines. Scientists think the ancient mammal "Ocucaje Predator" was a basilosaurus, which is part of the aquatic cetacean family, whose contemporary descendants include whales, dolphins, and porpoises. As per the textbooks, Basilosaurus means "king lizard". Although the animal was not a reptile but its long body might have moved like a giant snake. Palaeontologist Mario Urbina, head of the team that discovered the skeleton, told news agency AFP, "We have presented the new Peruvian basilosaurus, it is the complete skull of an archaic whale that lived 36 million years ago." ALSO READ | It's not photoshop! Rainbow-coloured fish discovered living off the coast of Maldives The 36-million-year-old Basilosaurus whale fossil on display at the Museum of Natural History, in Lima, Peru. (Image credit: Reuters) "This finding is very important because there are no other similar specimens discovered in the world," said Urbina, a researcher at the National University of San Marcos, in Lima. Team member Rodolfo Salas-Gismondi explained the basilosaurus differs from other known ancient whale species by its size and the development of its teeth, both of which indicate the animal was likely at the top of the food chain. "This is an extraordinary find because of its great state of preservation," he told AFP. "This animal was one of the largest predators of its time." "At that time the Peruvian sea was warm," added Salas-Gismondi, who heads the Department of Vertebrate Paleontology at the Natural History Museum in Lima. "Thanks to this type of fossil, we can reconstruct the history of the Peruvian sea." (With inputs from agencies)

'An extraordinary find': A 36-million-year-old prehistoric whale fossil found in Peru