Old structures of more than 11,000 years have been discovered in Cyprus and could represent the oldest village ever discovered in the world, announced Tuesday responsible.

More than 20 round structures were discovered Klimonas, near the southern city of Limassol, said the Antiquities Department, noting that it is “the oldest manifestation of an agricultural lifestyle and villagers ever known to the world. “

According to the Department of Antiquities of this island in the eastern Mediterranean, these structures date from 10,500 to 11,500 years – They were therefore built at least 2,000 years before the oldest known settlement in Cyprus never hitherto Khirokitia (south) , a site registered by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

Bones of animals, including cats and dogs, were also discovered at the site, which, according to archaeologists would have covered an area of about 5,000 m².

“The structures were built on small mountainside earthworks facing the sea,” the Department of Antiquities.

The site Klimonas contained stone tools and hunting and agricultural objects similar to those already discovered Neolithic Levant, he says. “While Cyprus was separated from the mainland by more than 70 km of sea, the island was part of the Neolithic developments in the Middle East,” according to a statement from the department.

The excavations were directed by French Briois François and Jean-Denis Vigne, he continued, adding that the people of Klimonas were likely hunters of small birds and wild boars.