World's 'oldest fish trap' found off coast of Sweden
5 June 2012 Last updated at 13:04 GMT
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-18331340
Wooden fish traps said to be some
9,000 years old have been found in the Baltic Sea off Sweden, possibly the
oldest such traps in existence.
Marine archaeologists from
Stockholm's Sodertorn University found finger-thick hazel rods grouped on the
sea bed.
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They are thought to be the remains
of stationary basket traps.
"This is the world's oldest
find when it comes to fishing," said Johan Ronnby, a professor in marine
archaeology.
Arne Sjostrom, a fellow
archaeologist who worked on the Sodertorn project, said the sticks seemed to have
been used as a "sort of fence to lead the fish into a creel or they were
part of the actual creel".
The remains of seven basket traps
were found in a submerged ancient river valley off Sweden's southern coast at a
depth of 5-12m (16.5-40ft), Mr Sjostrom said.
Many examples of similar traps had
been found in other parts of the world, he added.
Only one of the baskets has been
carbon-dated and is estimated to be around 9,000 years old, the Associated
Press news agency reports.
The 8th Millennium BC is believed to
be the period when Stone Age man developed agriculture and built what were to
become the world's first cities.
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