By Marina Ivanova
Most of the settlements are Stone Age but one site, near the village of Stary Dedin, in the Klimovichi District, has been found to be much older. Excavations began in 2010, covering an area of just 30 square meters. However, the area being searched was recently expanded five-fold, with surprising results.
Unlike most digs in the east of the country, this one has unearthed arrowheads and whimsical items of pottery. The right-sided sharpening of blades reveals that they were held in the left hand while the house designs are of particular interest; rather than the traditional round ‘huts’ and ‘tents’, real ‘houses’ with corridors have been found, which may have been seasonal homes associated with hunting and fishing.
Nearby, food was prepared in clay ware. There is no doubt that it is a pre-Indo-European settlement, characterised by the interaction of two cultures: local and foreign — from the Middle Dnieper. Until now, we had no idea whether these peoples were friends or enemies but it seems that the relationship was peaceful.
