Excavations carried out by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki at the Neolithic lake-site of Dispilio (Middle-Late Neolithic, circa 5700-3500 cal. BC) at the region of Kastoria, NW Greece brought to light an impressive -in terms of pristine preservation and typological diversity- macrolithic assemblage. Counting more than 3000 artefacts, the macrolithic assemblage of Neolithic Disiplio is one of the largest known from Neolithic Greece. It includes a diverse repertoire of finished stone tools, such as axes, adzes, chisels, grinding slabs, grinders, pestles, polishers, polissoirs, abraders, hammers, anvils, choppers, drills, maceheads, notched pebbles, and slingshot bullets, but also hundreds of unmodified raw materials, roughouts, and waste products, deriving from the on-site manufacture, maintenance, and redesign of the relevant toolkits.

This lecture will be based on the results of the ongoing study of the macrolithic assemblage from Neolithic Dispilio carried within the framework of the ERC EXPLO Project, directed by Professor Emeritus Kostas Kotsakis. It will present the macrolithic industry from Neolithic Dispilio, and discuss the technology and life-histories of the macrolithic artefacts. Emphasis will be placed upon exploring their manufacture sequences, technical choices, curation patterns, use cycles, discard practices, and contexts of recovery. Finally, by drawing comparisons to other Neolithic Aegean macrolithic assemblages, I will attempt to appoint the idiosyncratic aspects of the industry under study and address their connotations with the distinct lake-side environment within which the Neolithic community of Dispilio was settled.

Invitation