Archaeologists have unearthed the remains of an Early Stone Age site believed to be the first of its kind discovered in northern Slovakia.
The site, discovered on land where a new hospital in Martin is to be built, sheds new light on how and where communities at the time lived in Slovakia, archaeologist Andrej Žitňan told the TASR newswire.
Explaining that it is the first such extensive settlement discovered in the north of Slovakia, Žitňan said his team had found both ground and chipped stone tools at the site.
"Now we see that these communities were able to function in a very similar way even this far north, at an altitude of 412 meters," he said.
Žitňan said that the people who once lived in the settlement had been grain farmers and had kept domestic animals. "They were able to civilise [their community], fertilise and function here in the same way as other communities functioned in much more favourable and fertile climatic conditions," he added.
The discovery is not expected to delay construction of the new hospital, which is due to be treat its first patients in 2026.
Health Minister Vladimír Lengvarský (OĽaNO nominee), has estimated the cost of construction of the 660-bed hospital at €330 million. This will be funded under Slovakia's Recovery and Resilience Plan.
