10,500-year-old wood found 20m deep in Germany's Lake Arendsee

Archaeologists have recovered exceptionally well-preserved pieces of worked wood dating back around 10,500 years from beneath Lake Arendsee in northern Germany, potentially offering fresh evidence of wooden structures built by Mesolithic hunter-gatherers.The discoveries were made during underwater archaeological investigations by the State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology (LDA) Saxony-Anhalt. Among the finds are a 1.60-metre-high wooden post bearing felling marks and split boards measuring up to 1.30 metres long. Researchers are investigating whether the pieces belonged to huts or other previously unknown structures.Ancient shoreline preserved beneath the lakeThe finds were recovered from approximately 20 metres below the surface, where the former shoreline of Lake Arendsee has been exceptionally well preserved.Researchers say the lake’s unusual geological conditions played a crucial role.