Network of Bronze Age Enclosures Identified in Serbia

DUBLIN, IRELAND—More than 100 previously unknown archaeological sites have been identified in Serbia through the use of Google Earth and aircraft reconnaissance by Barry Molloy of University College Dublin and his colleagues, according to a Science Magazine report. The sites were then dated with pottery fragments, grinding stones, and animal bones recovered from the sites. The 3,600-year-old walls and ditches were spotted in an area known as the Pannonian Plain, which includes parts of Romania, Hungary, and Serbia. It had been previously thought that the Pannonian Plain was relatively isolated during the Bronze Age, since intensive agriculture had left the enclosures nearly invisible on the ground. Molloy said that the enclosures were situated close to one another, and stretched for more than 90 miles along the Tisza River. He thinks the walls and ditches may have surrounded a network of settlements, but they may also have been used for seasonal gatherings, ceremonials, or cattle pens. Read the original scholarly article about this research in PLOS ONE. To read about evidence for the spread of mice throughout Europe that was found in a Neolithic house in Serbia, go to "Mouse in the House."