Archaeologists in northern Greece revealed on Saturday that they have uncovered traces of prehistoric settlements, some dating back 8,000 years.

The settlements were unearthed in a region surrounded by four lakes – Vegoritida, Heimaditida, Petron and Zazari – between the towns of Kozani and Florina 160 kilometers west of Thessaloniki, archaeologists said at the end of a three-day annual archaeology conference in Thessaloniki.

The excavations, which began in September 2003, have yielded 53 clay figurines, stone tools, fossilized lentils as well as traces of small moats around what appeared to be primitive dwellings.

Some 24 Neolithic settlements have been discovered in the area since 2003. The first traces of human settlement in Greece date back to at least 40,000 BC. (AP)