Emily Chan
In eastern France, archaeologists recently unearthed an ancient monument shaped like a horseshoe alongside a trove of artifacts dating back to various time periods.
The discoveries were made by the French National Institute of Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP) in Marliens, a commune located approximately 200 miles southeast of Paris.
Excavations at the site have uncovered evidence of human occupation spanning from the Neolithic era to the Iron Age. The earliest evidence of occupation by people at the site is a monument consisting of three round interconnected enclosures, with one of them resembling a horseshoe.
The center of the monument features a circular enclosure measuring around 36 feet in diameter. From the central circle, a 26-foot-long horseshoe-shaped enclosure stretches toward the north. To the south, there is another enclosure that looks like a square with rounded corners.
Researchers do not know how old the prehistoric structure is or what it might have been used for. No other structure of its kind has ever been found before.
However, some flint objects were discovered nearby, suggesting that it is from sometime during the Neolithic period, which began around 7000 B.C. in Europe.
Furthermore, a number of other artifacts at the site, such as seven flint arrowheads, a copper dagger, and a pair of archer’s armbands, have been linked to the Bell Beaker period, a culture that appeared on the archaeological record roughly 4,500 years ago in Europe.
Additionally, a necropolis with five circular enclosures was discovered. One of the enclosures was sealed. The burial site is thought to date back between 1500 and 1300 B.C.
The largest enclosure featured the remains of a funeral pyre. Some ceramic shards, copper alloy pins, and an amber bead necklace were found nearby.
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