Skopje, November 2 – Traces of an approximately 8,000-year-old settlement, along with objects that testify to the daily life of its inhabitants, are coming to light just a few kilometers from Skopje. The latest archaeological excavations at the “Ograxhe” site, in the village of Orman, have yielded a series of findings of importance for the knowledge of the Neolithic period in the Skopje region.
The National Archaeological Museum in Skopje announced that this year’s archaeological research at the site has been successfully completed, with the discovery of human and animal figurines, ceramic vessels, stone and bone tools, as well as remains of fireplaces and garbage pits. The findings provide archaeologists with new data on how the communities that populated this area thousands of years ago lived and were organized.
Particularly interesting are the figurines with human and animal forms. According to the Museum, they provide evidence of the beliefs and artistic expression of the communities of that period. Meanwhile, ceramic vessels and tools made of stone and bone tell about the daily activities of the inhabitants and the way work was organized in the kitchens and workshops of the settlement. The remains of fireplaces and garbage pits are also important for archaeologists, as they help in the reconstruction of daily life and the functioning of the Neolithic settlement.
This year’s research was conducted in the northwestern part of the area where, during the 2019 defensive excavations, the Conservation Center of the City of Skopje had discovered remains of houses about eight thousand years old. The research was carried out by the team of the National Archaeological Museum – Skopje, under the direction of mr. Bunjamin Xhemaili. The professional team also included mr. Elena Stojanova Kanzurova, dr. Pero Sinadinovski, dr. Robert Petkovski, mr. Blagoja Kitanovski and Jovica Ristov.
The project is supported by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and is part of the annual work program of the National Archaeological Museum. The discoveries in Orman reinforce the evidence for the rich prehistoric heritage of the Skopje region. The “Ograxhe” locality, with the remains of dwellings, objects of daily use and figurines discovered, is enabling archaeologists to create an increasingly complete picture of the life of the communities that inhabited this area about eight thousand years ago.
Source
