Archaeologists Make a Stunning Find When the Ground Collapsed in a Slovak Village Uncovering a Mysterious 'Loch'

Researchers have located a loch from a collapsed ground in a Slovakia village. The village where this surprising finding has taken place is Dubovany in Trnava Region, stated The Slovak Spectator. A piece of ground collapsed near the local cemetery of this village, which unveiled an uncanny-looking underground structure identified as a loch by experts. The loch is part of an ancient building used by people to store food and also acted as a refuge for people during times of distress. These chambers were built underground by carving into soft sediments like loess and clay. Loch comes from a German word and means 'hole.' This recent finding in Dubovany is crucial for researchers as loch is hard to come by in Slovakia.

Archaeologists involved in the excavation of this loch claimed that the structure was the first of its kind in the Trnava Region. These structures were extremely beneficial for people living in freezing environments. "Lochs typically maintained above-freezing temperatures, even in harsh winters, making them habitable during colder periods," Matúš Sládok, the archaeologist leading the investigation explained. To enter these chambers, people typically used above-ground structures. Oftentimes these establishments were also used as prison chambers for delinquents by authorities. This purpose made the Slovak phrase zavrieť do lochu (throw someone in jail) popular.

The archaeological team responsible for analyzing the site ordered the refilling of the collapsed ground taking into consideration the safety of a nearby house and road. Before the refilling experts found ceramic shards on the overlying soil, one of which dated back to the La Tène period around 450 B.C.E. Researchers claim that these shards have no association with the loch and instead belong to another archaeological site in the area. The loch's age is yet to be determined, but through analysis, experts have confirmed that the structure is older than the neighboring 19th-century houses.

"The loch is certainly not related to this house, because it is built on a brick basement and there is no visible bricked-up entrance to the loch in the basement. Therefore, the loch must be related to an older object," explained Sládok, as per My Trnava. Sládok speculates that the structure could have links with an older establishment spotted in this region during the First Military Mapping Survey of 1782–1784.

Though loch has not been extensively studied in Slovakia, these structures are routinely recorded in Moravia, Austria, and Germany. Several prehistoric lochs have also been found in Moravia. "In the Brno-venkov district, a loch from the Early Bronze Age (about 2,200 - 1,600 BC) was examined, and another, small-scale one, probably from the Early Neolithic (Younger Stone Age) from the Moravian Painted Pottery culture period (about 4,700 - 4,000 BC) was examined. In the Prostějov district, a small loch was examined, which was only broadly classified as prehistoric," added Sládok. Many Lochs from Moravia have also been dated from the 13th-14th centuries to the modern era. Researchers are requesting people to report structures like these because they could hold the key to the identification of a yet unknown extinct medieval village.