Provadia (Bulgarie): The ancient town where they sliced their dead in half and buried them from the pelvis up
Damien Gayle
- Bulgarian town thought to date back as far as 4700BC
- Residents made their living mining for salt, an important resource that made them wealthy
- Evidence also suggests the town had already developed a class system
Residents of what is thought to be Europe's oldest town cut their dead in half and buried them from the pelvis up, according to archaeologists.
The newly discovered ancient settlement, thought to date back to 4700BC, is near the Bulgarian town of Provadia, about 25 miles from the country's Black Sea coast.
Archaeology professor Vassil Nikolov led the dig which focused on the town itself and its necropolis, where the strange and complex burial rituals were discovered.
Strange rituals: Some of the corpses found in the necropolis attached to what is thought to be Europe's oldest town were sliced in half and buried from the pelvis up
Ancient: Researchers believe the town, located 25 miles from Bulgaria's Black Sea coast, is Europe's oldest urban settlement and was home to between 300 to 350 people
A whole corpse: Researchers have as yet advanced no theories as to why some corpses were mutilated before burial and others were interred in their entirety
'Now we can say that the Provadia salt pans location is the oldest town in Europe, [dating from] roughly 4700 to 4200BC,' he told CNN.
There is as yet no clue as to why some corpses have been sliced in half and buried from the pelvis up, but researchers found evidence to show some residents of the salt-producing area were wealthy people.
Professor Nikolov told the Sofia Globe the town's 300 to 350 residents lived in two-storey homes and earned their living mining the surrounding area for salt, which was as important to the ancient world as oil is today.
'The salt water was evaporated by different techniques in ceramic bowls,' Professor Nikolov told CNN. 'Salt produced was used as money because salt was essential for both humans and animals.'
Wealthy: The town's residents lived in two-storey homes and mined the surrounding area for salt, an important resource in ancient times
Security: To protect their wealth, their town was surrounded by stone walls three metres high and a phenomenal two metres thick