Archaeologists have unearthed a unique and rare jade artifact dating back 8,000 years at a prehistoric settlement near the village of Mayor Uzunovo, Bulgaria. This discovery marks the beginning of excavations led by Georgi Ganevtsovski, director of the Regional Historical Museum in Vratsa, after a six-year hiatus.
The site is considered highly significant for understanding the prehistory of Bulgaria and the Balkan Peninsula. Ganevtsovski noted that the importance of the Mayor Uzunovo site lies in the presence of remains and artifacts related to the emergence of early Neolithic civilization, specifically the Danube civilization, in Eastern and Central Serbia along the Danube River, as well as in Romania.
According to Ganevtsovski, information regarding this civilization predates findings from another site being studied in Ohoeden, Vratsa. He emphasized that all explored sites from over 8,000 years ago exhibit distinct characteristics indicative of the formation of this earliest European civilization.
In 2027, geophysical surveys established the boundaries of the prehistoric site in Mayor Uzunovo. Early in the excavation process, the team uncovered a Neolithic sunken structure that likely served both residential and ceremonial purposes. The findings include materials related to the daily lives of these ancient farmers and fragments of the earliest known pottery in Europe, dated to 8,000 years ago. Ganevtsovski confirmed that samples have been sent for radiocarbon dating, which verified the site's age.