VARIOUS SHOTS OF THE SITE AND OBJECTS FOUND.




Initials JSU/VS/JF/JG



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: A SETTLEMENT BELIEVED TO DATE BACK SOME 8,000 YEARS AND CONTAINING THE REMAINS OF HOUSES, ART WORKS AND HUMAN SKELETONS HAS BEEN UNCOVERED IN YUGOSLAVIA AT LEPENSKI VIR NEAR THE RUMANIAN BORDER.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS SAY THE SETTLEMENT, UNCOVERED ON A CONSTRUCTION SITE ON THE RIVER DANUBE, WAS ERECTED ABOUT 6,000 YEARS BEFORE THE CHRISTIAN ERA AND IS AMONG THE OLDEST UNKNOWN UNCOVERED SETTLEMENTS IN THE WORLD.

IN AN AREA OF ABOUT 1,250 SQUARE METRES (ABOUT 1,500 SQUARE YARDS), THE ARCHAEOLOGISTS LED BY DR DRAGAN SREJOVIC, OF BELGRADE UNIVERSITY, FOUND THE REMAINS OF FOUR HOUSES CONTAINING STONE HEADS AND STATUES.

REPRESENTING SOME OF THE EARLIEST REALISTIC HUMAN SCULPTURES KNOWN IN EUROPE, THE STONE HEADS ARE LIFE-SIZE AND HAVE DISTINCTIVE IF STYLISED HUMAN FEATURES.

EXPERTS BELIEVE THAT THE SETTLEMENT, WITH ITS WEALTH OF OBJECTS MAY SURPASS MANY OF THE MOST FAMOUS DISCOVERIES OF OLD HUMAN CIVILISATION FROM THE 'YOUNGER STONE AGE.