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Photo: Томасина · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Prehistoric town near Provadia, Bulgaria
Solnitsata was a prehistoric town located in present-day Bulgaria, near the modern city of Provadia. It is the oldest salt production center in continental Europe. It was the first prehistoric urban center in Europe. Solnitsata was a fortified stone settlement - citadelle, inner and outer city with pottery production site and the site of a salt production facility; it flourished c. 4700–4200 BC. The settlement was walled to protect the salt, a crucial commodity in antiquity. Although its population has been estimated at only 350, Vassil Nikolov argues that it meets established criteria as a prehistoric proto-city.
