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Ancient building found in Israeli city

14 January 2010 11:39 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Ziya Agazade â€“ APA. Archaeologists have uncovered remains of an 8,000-year-old prehistoric building as well as ancient flint tools in the modern city of Tel Aviv, Israel’s
Antiquities Authority announced Monday.

The building is the earliest structure ever found in Tel Aviv and changes what archaeologists previously believed about the area in ancient times, APA reports citing â€œAssociated Pressâ€.

"This discovery is both important and surprising to researchers of the period," said Ayelet Dayan, the archaeologist who led the excavation. "For the first time we have encountered evidence of a permanent habitation that existed in the Tel Aviv region 8,000 years ago," she said.

The three-room structure is believed to be have been built in the Neolithic period â€” when humans went from a nomadic existence of hunting and gathering to living in permanent settlements and engaging in agriculture.

The remains were found near the Ayalon River which Dayan said probably influenced the ancient dwellers’ decision to settle.