6,000

Ahead of a construction project, archaeologists in a French municipality recently excavated the slopes of Punta Campana and discovered an expansive Neolithic site full of ancient artifacts.

The site in Sotta contains two distinct settlements, according to an April 24 news release from the Institut national de recherches archéologiques préventives (INRAP). The first settlement is partially preserved while the second is well preserved.

Here’s a look at what researchers found in their excavation.

The first settlement — which dates to the start of the fourth millennium B.C., about 6,000 years ago — held a stone structure filled with remains of an obsidian knapping workshop, archaeologists said.

Within the workshop, there is evidence indicating that ancient people used a variety of methods to make obsidian tools.

Experts said the site likely suffered significant erosion until the second, more recent settlement was built over top of the workshop.

The second settlement — which dates to the third millennium B.C., about 4,000-5,000 years ago — was better preserved, experts said.

Archaeologists uncovered a system of terraces full of remains of occupation and activities. The terraces were topped with an approximately 3-foot tall or fortified wall made of granite blocks, according to researchers.

On the first terrace below it was a stone arc also made from granite blocks. The building techniques used in the arc indicate it was used as some kind of roof, but experts are investigating its exact purpose, they said.

Within the terraced structure, there was also a corridor and staircase that appeared to function as a passageway to the upper level of the system, archaeologists said. Within the corridor, several vases were unearthed.

Two other similar but more refined terraced systems were discovered at the site, according to the team. It is still unclear what the purpose of these structures was, but archaeologists say they could have been used for food storage, metallurgy or other artisan activities.

The Neolithic site, and the terraced section especially, held thousands of unusual copper and other metal artifacts, according to archaeologists.

Some remains indicated traces of melting that took place at the site. There were also cattle teeth and rare cranial skeletal remains that seemed to have been burned, INRAP said.

Other artifacts gave experts greater insight into life during the Neolithic era and at the settlement in particular.

Among their finds, archaeologists unearthed ceramics, flint, obsidian, quartz, arrowheads, polishers, axes, wheels and tools. Further studies into each piece are ongoing and will hopefully give a greater view into ancient life.

Sotta is a French municipality on the island of Corsica.

Google Translate was used to translate the news release from INRAP.

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