Rob Picheta: 7,000-year-old well is the oldest wooden structure ever discovered
Archaeologists have discovered a 7,000-year-old Neolithic well in
eastern Europe, which they believe is the oldest wooden structure in the world. The square well was
built with oak by farmers around 5256 B.C., according to researchers who
pinpointed its origin after analyzing the tree rings in the wood, which is the
scientific method known as dendrochronology. The well's age makes it the oldest
dendrochronologically dated archaeological wooden construction worldwide,
according to the researchers in the Czech Republic.
"The well was
only preserved because it had been underwater for centuries. Now we cannot let
it dry out, or the well would be destroyed," Karol Bayer of the University
of Pardubice's Department of Restoration said in a press release. Researchers are
developing a process to dry the wood and preserve it without deformation using
sugar to reinforce the wood's cellular structure.
"It is
interesting that the corner posts were made of previously felled trunks, namely
from the trunk which had been cut in the autumn or winter 5259 B.C. or the
winter of early 5258 B.C.," said Michal Rybníček of the Department of Wood
Science at Mendel University. Measuring 140 cm (56
inches) in height and with an 80 by 80 cm (32 by 32 inches) square base, the
well was found last year during construction of the D35 motorway near
Ostrov, Czech Republic. Researchers published their findings in the Journal of Archaeological Science. Its design shines a
light on technical skills that researchers didn't think Neolithic people
possessed.
"The design
consists of grooved corner posts with inserted planks. This type of
construction reveals advanced technical know-how and, till now, is the only
known type from this region and time period," the authors wrote. According to experts,
the well indicates that whoever built it was able to process the surface of
felled trunks with utmost precision, given that they only had tools made of
stone, bone, horn, or wood. "The shape of the
individual structural elements and tool marks preserved on their surface
confirm sophisticated carpentry skills," the authors wrote.
It is the third well
from the early Neolithic period found in the Czech Republic in the past four
years.
