FINDINGS FROM ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF PILE DWELLING REMAINS IN LJUBLJANSKO BARJE NOW PUBLISHED

In late 2022, during the establishment of new aquatic habitats near Bistra in the Ljubljansko barje, the remains of a prehistoric pile dwelling were unearthed. The archaeologist supervising the excavations noticed vertical poles in the profile of one of the ponds and, on closer inspection, pieces of ceramics, bones, stones and charcoal. The discovery was made in the relative vicinity of the previously known archaeological site of the Črešnja settlement, which dates back to the 4th millennium BC.

Archaeologists carried out wood sampling and sent 6 samples for further analysis. They found the remains to be of black alder, beech, oak and ash. Radiocarbon analysis of one of the samples showed that the wood probably dates to between 3526 and 3365 BC. The tree is thought to have been cut down after 3425 BC.

As previously reported, the excavation was quickly backfilled after the inventory and sampling was completed, as the archaeological remains, especially organic, are extremely fragile and quickly rot and decay in the air. A substitute pond was dug at a nearby site. The pond is already hosting its first amphibians of the year.

Photo: K. Drašler