When researchers began exploring a sunken settlement off the coast of the island of Korčula, near mainland Croatia, they did not know that they would soon uncover a magnificent ancient stone pathway buried under a layer of marine silt. According to a translation of the university’s Facebook post, researchers at the University of Zadar in Croatia discovered the road, which is about 13 feet wide and made of stone slabs, after scraping mud from the underwater find.

The team says the road once connected the island of Korčula to a man-made island settlement called Soline, which is now almost 16 feet below the water level. Researchers believe they were all active about 7,000 years ago. Using radiocarbon dating, the team examined wood that survived the road and was able to date the highway-related site to 4900 BC. Researchers describe the road’s construction as “carefully stacked stone slabs” about 13 feet wide.

As the team of researchers from local museums and dive centers continue to explore the area, they find evidence of multiple Neolithic settlements near the popular island of Korcula. Along the way, researchers began to notice “strange structures” in the area and discovered another settlement in Gradina Bay, almost identical to Solina. Further excavations revealed various artifacts, including knives and a stone ax.

Miami reporter He reports that the people of Hvar, one of the original inhabitants of the island, lived in the area at the time of pottery making and showed additional ingenuity by creating a stone pathway to the artificial island. On the island of Korčula, settlements dating back to the Neolithic period have long been known. However, ongoing discoveries in the waters near the island are revealing new insights into how settlements on and near the island may have connected different human groups.