In a remarkable archaeological breakthrough, a team of international archaeologists from Freie Universität Berlin has uncovered fortified prehistoric settlements in a remote region of Siberia. This groundbreaking research sheds light on the construction of complex defense structures by hunter-gatherer communities in Siberia approximately 8,000 years ago.

This discovery challenges our previous understanding of early human societies, which suggested that only with the advent of agriculture did people begin to build permanent settlements with monumental architecture and develop complex social structures. The study was published in Antiquity.

The investigation focused on the fortified settlement of Amnya, recognized as the northernmost Stone Age fort in Eurasia. In 2019, the researchers, led by Professor Henny Piezonka from Freie Universität Berlin and Dr. Natalia Chairkina from Yekaterinburg, Russia, conducted fieldwork at the site. The team consisted of German and Russian researchers from Berlin, Kiel, and Yekaterinburg.

The prehistoric inhabitants of Amnya relied on fishing in the Amnya River and hunting elk and reindeer using bone and stone-tipped spears. They also crafted intricately decorated pottery to preserve their fish oil and meat surplus.

The discovery of approximately 10 Stone Age fortified sites challenged the conventional belief that permanent settlements with defensive structures only emerged with farming societies. This finding disproves the notion that agriculture and animal husbandry were prerequisites for societal complexity.

The Siberian findings, along with other examples worldwide, such as Gobekli Tepe in Anatolia, contribute to a broader reassessment of the linear development of societies from simple to complex. Hunter-gatherer communities in various parts of the world, from the Korean peninsula to Scandinavia, developed large settlements using aquatic resources. The abundance of natural resources in the Siberian taiga, including annual fish runs and migrating herds, likely played a crucial role in the emergence of these hunter-gatherer forts.

The fortified settlements overlooking rivers may have served as strategic locations to control and exploit productive fishing spots. These prehistoric constructions indicate the presence of competition and conflict in hunter-gatherer societies, overturning previous assumptions that such aspects were absent.

These findings highlight the diverse pathways that led to complex societal organizations, as reflected in the emergence of monumental constructions like the Siberian forts. They also emphasize the significance of local environmental conditions in shaping the trajectories of human societies.

References

• Johnstone, J. & Free University of Berlin. (2023, December 7). Oldest fortresses in the world discovered. Phys.Org; Free University of Berlin. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-oldest-fortresses-world.html
• Piezonka, H., Chairkina, N., Dubovtseva, E., Kosinskaya, L., Meadows, J., & Schreiber, T. (2023). The world’s oldest-known promontory fort: Amnya and the acceleration of hunter-gatherer diversity in Siberia 8000 years ago. Antiquity, 97(396), 1381–1401. https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2023.164