An extraordinary find in southern Serbia sheds light on the origins of the first sedentary societies in Europe: an 8000-year-old house has been discovered in Svinjarička Čuka. The archaeological discoveries give new insights into the early agricultural societies and the spread of Neolithic innovations in the Balkans.

Did the first agrarian societies in Europe live a nomadic or a (seasonal) settled life? How did sedentism spread between Anatolia and Europe – and how did the first sedentary people influence agricultural techniques on our continent? An Austrian-Serbian team of archaeologists led by the Austrian Academy of Sciences (OeAW) discovered the remains of a rectangular house in Svinjarička Čuka that was built around 8,000 years ago.

‘The new finds at Svinjarička Čuka provide substantial new insights and data that are likely to change previous models of the development of sedentarisation in the Balkans,’ says Barbara Horejs, archaeologist and scientific director of the Austrian Archaeological Institute of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. The building, constructed from wattle combined with wooden posts and exceptionally well preserved by fire, provides crucial insights into the architecture and way of life of the early agricultural pioneers.

Sedentariness replaced nomadism in Europe

‘The partially collapsed and burnt architectural elements covered floors inside the house, as well as artefacts, tools and scattered vessels in the presumed outdoor area,’ says OeAW researcher Barbara Horejs, describing the archaeological discovery. Particularly significant are the various installations for storing food, grain and seeds.

One thing is clear: the find challenges previous models that assumed that the early settlers of Europe were nomadic or only seasonally settled, which was concluded from the widespread pits that were interpreted as the remains of light huts. ‘Instead of nomadic or only seasonally settled small groups, the Neolithic pioneers in the Balkans apparently built stable houses with facilities for supplies and grain storage,’ she explains.

Microarchaeology for the analysis of sediments and remains

The excavations at Svinjarička Čuka, which have been going on since 2018, have already uncovered several occupation phases of the Early to Middle Neolithic, which can be assigned to the Starčevo culture. This culture represents the oldest Neolithic communities in the Balkans and played a central role in the spread of agriculture from Anatolia to Europe. The current excavations are also raising new questions: ‘The geographical and cultural origin of these groups and the possible interaction with regional hunter-gatherers are still open questions that will now be further explored,’ says Horejs.

To analyse the finds in detail, the researchers are relying on microarchaeological methods, such as the examination of sediments, botanical and zoological remains, and chemical soil analyses. ‘The application of microarchaeological methods provides new data, for example, on the use of these early houses or on the coexistence of humans and animals, which may have developed with the Neolithic around 8,000 years ago in Europe,’ the archaeologist says.

Field school and art projects in Serbia

In addition to the scientific work, students from the University of Vienna had the opportunity to gain practical experience as part of a field school. At the same time, the project brought art and science together: the artist Elham Hadian was on site as part of the new ‘Artist-in-Archaeology’ programme. Her artistic work, inspired by the discoveries, will be exhibited at the Barvinskyi Art Gallery in Vienna in 2025.