Kretou Marottou – Ais Yiorkis and Akrotiri – Aetokremnos

Cyprus Department of Antiquities

The Department of Antiquities, Ministry of Communications and Works, announces the completion of the 2014 excavation season at the early Neolithic site of Kretou Marottou-Ais Yiorkis by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), under the direction of Dr. Alan H. Simmons. The excavations were funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Geographic Society and the Wenner-Gren Foundation.

The site of Kretou Marottou-Ais Yiorkis dates to the Cypriot Pre Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB) with an occupation centered around 7,800 cal. BC. It is located in the foothills of the Troodos Mountains, rather than near the coast, a more common Neolithic pattern. The site contains many unique features, including circular plastered platforms, a huge chipped stone assemblage, and well-preserved paleoeconomic data, including cattle, which previously had not been documented on Cyprus until the Bronze Age.

Read more: http://www.mcw.gov.cy