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Aegeus Society For Aegean Prehistory

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1 May 2010

Drakaina Cave

Drakaina cave is situated on the steep slopes of the impressive Gorge of Poros, a small modern village on the southeast coast of Kefalonia island in the Ionian Sea, Western Greece. Excavations carried out between 1992 and 2005 revealed a long and complex sequence of human activity spanning the Late Neolithic (mid 6th millennium BC) through the Early Bronze Age (mid 3rd millennium BC). After a long period of abandonment, Drakaina cave was reused as a shrine dedicated to the Nymphs and the God Pan from the late 7th to the early 2nd century BC. During modern times the Cave was used again as a sheepfold.

The archaeological project of the prehistoric deposits of Drakaina cave began systematically at 2004 and has continued until today. It is conducted by the Ephorate of Palaeoanthropology and Speleology of Southern Greece under the direction of Dr Georgia Stratouli with the collaboration of numerous researchers and students from universities and academic institutes from Greece and abroad. Excavations at the Neolithic layers of the site has uncovered important architectural elements, such as several lime plastered floors covering large portions of the cave, a rare if not unique feature at least for Neolithic caves at Greece, and various hearths, often lined by natural stones and recycled ground stone tools. The archaeological investigations had also brought to light large amounts of small finds and food remains. Their study in combination with various archaeometrical, palaeoecological and petrographical studies, conducted within the framework of the archaeological program, aims on reconstructing the site’s cultural biography and understanding its meaning(s) for the Neolithic community.


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Παρακαλούμε τα σχόλιά σας να είναι στα Ελληνικά (πάντα με ελληνικούς χαρακτήρες) ή στα Αγγλικά. Αποφύγετε τα κεφαλαία γράμματα. Ο Αιγεύς διατηρεί το δικαίωμα να διαγράφει εκτός θέματος, προσβλητικά, ανώνυμα σχόλια ή κείμενα σε greeklish.