Simplify the following text for a Grade 9 native English-speaking person.
Original: But there is no doubt that Soest has been inhabited for a long time ; excavations in the last two decades have uncovered signs of habitation stretching back more than 4000 years .
Simplified: But there is no doubt that Soest has been lived in for a long time ; excavations in the last two decades have uncovered signs of people living in Soest more than 4000 years ago .