The skeleton of a prehistoric woman believed to represent the first agricultural civilization existing on Bulgarian land was unearthed near the village of Ohoden, Vratsa district, northwest Bulgaria. Archeologists found the skeleton on the river bank of the local Skut river. The finding was approximately dated back 9,000 years, which makes the 'Bulgarian farmer' five centuries older than the already known humans to have lived on the Balkan Peninsula.
     The skeleton was revealed during excavation works in a pre-historic village unearthed from a depth of 2 m. "This woman skeleton is five centuries older than those which were found in the Balkans and belong to the first generation of farmers that inhabited this region," said archaeologist Georgy Ganetsovski, who made the discovery.
     The village seemed to be very well preserved after being devasted by a big fire. Archeologists said that the people living on these lands in prehistoric times were the first to invent ceramics and to build thermally isolated solid houses. They were convinced that the Ohoden finding would redraft the history of human civilization.

Sources: Novinite, (31 October 2004), The Hindu (7 November 2004)