Solnitsata

Солницата
	The site in 2020
	Location in Bulgaria
Location	Varna, Bulgaria
Coordinates	43°07′42″N 27°28′21″E / 43.1284°N 27.4725°E
Type	Settlement
History
Founded	c. 4700 BC
Abandoned	c. 4200 BC
Periods	Neolithic, Chalcolithic
Cultures	Karanovo culture, Hamangia culture, Varna culture, Gumelnița–Karanovo culture
Site notes
Condition	ruins
Website	https://provadia-solnitsata.com/en
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Solnitsata (Bulgarian: Солницата, "The Saltworks") 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 (5500‑4200 BC).^[1] It was the first prehistoric urban center in Europe, consisting of a salt production center, Solnitsata was a fortified stone settlement - citadelle, inner and outer city with pottery production site and the site of a salt production facility;^[2] it flourished c. 4700–4200 BC.^[3] The settlement was walled to protect the salt, a crucial commodity in antiquity.^[4] Although its population has been estimated at only 350,^[4] Vassil Nikolov [bg] argues that it meets established criteria as a prehistoric proto-city.^[5]

Salt production drove Solnitsata's economy, and the town is believed to have supplied salt throughout the Balkans. A large collection of gold objects nearby has led archaeologists to consider that this trade resulted in great wealth for the town's residents — Varna Necropolis.^[2] Nearby is the ancient Anhialos, whose livelihood was the extraction of sea salt. The extraction technology can be seen in the Salt Museum, Pomorie.

The town is believed to have been destroyed by an earthquake.^[6]