The Oldest Man-Made Megastructure in Europe?
A remarkable discovery has been made in the Baltic Sea, as a Stone Age hunting wall has been found by researchers. This wall, known as the Blinkerwall, is believed to be more than 8,500 years old and may be Europe’s oldest man-made megastructure. Built by hunter-gatherers, the kilometer-long wall was likely used to guide reindeer into different areas.
Chance Discovery by Students
In a fortunate twist of fate, students participating in a training exercise with the Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde stumbled upon the Blinkerwall in September 2021. Utilizing a multibeam sonar, the students were mapping the seafloor near the town of Rerik in Germany when they noticed the peculiar structure. It consists of large rocks connected by more than 1,500 smaller stones, arranged in such a way that suggests a deliberate construction rather than a natural occurrence.
Insights into Stone Age Hunting Strategies
Experts speculate that hunting walls like the Blinkerwall were used to corral herds of animals, such as antelope. These animals tend to follow obstacles rather than leaping over them, making them easier to capture. In this case, researchers believe the wall was designed to trap reindeer, which inhabited the region around 11,000 years ago. This discovery offers valuable insights into the strategies employed by early hunter-gatherer communities and sheds light on how they thrived in their environments.
Implications for Scientific Research
The significance of this finding extends beyond its historical value. The Blinkerwall’s existence suggests that there may be other submerged Stone Age walls waiting to be discovered, submerged by rising sea levels. Scientists hope that studying these structures will enhance our understanding of early human societies and their adaptations to changing environments. The findings have been published in the prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, further solidifying their importance in the field of archaeology.