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Scientists have discovered evidence of stone megastructures on the Karst Plateau on the border of Slovenia and Italy that were most likely built before the Late Bronze Age. These enormous structures have long, low walls that lead to a pit and are believed to have been used as large-scale traps for herds of wild animals such as red deer.

Researchers from the University of Ljubljana and the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia conducted airborne laser scanning (ALS) surveys across an area of approximately 870 square kilometers and discovered four previously unknown megastructures. They range in size from 530 meters to over 3.5 kilometers in length and are similar to desert kites, large prehistoric hunting structures in Southwest Asia and North Africa.

The overall layout and length of the four megastructures are remarkably well-preserved. Each one is made from loosely stacked limestone with walls that are 1 to 1.5 meters wide. However, their surviving height is low, rarely topping 0.5 meters. The researchers estimate the original walls would have been less than a meter tall. When viewed from above, the structures resemble giant funnels, with a concealed pit-like enclosure at their ends, situated beneath a natural drop like a cliff where animals could have been trapped.

Until now, evidence for large ancient hunting traps in Europe was scarce. This is the first time that archaeologists have found a hunting system that closely resembles the desert kites previously known only in Asia and Africa. Scientists haven't pinpointed an exact date for their construction yet, but radiocarbon dating of material found inside them suggests they were already abandoned before the Late Bronze Age.

Rethinking prehistoric societies

This discovery could force us to rethink what we know about prehistoric human societies. As the researchers write in their paper in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, building the megastructures would have demanded huge coordinative effort, requiring large numbers of people to work for many hours, far more effort than a family unit. According to estimates, the largest structure required over 5,000 person-hours of labor.

"These installations expose critical dimensions of prehistoric life: the coordination of communal labor beyond the domestic sphere, the transformation of landscapes into infrastructural systems, and the coupling of animal ecology with architectural foresight."

The discovery of these structures also highlights the builders' ingenuity and their deep, intimate knowledge of the landscape and the regional movements of wild animals.

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