Early Neolithic settlement of Mavropigi in western Greek Macedonia

Georgia Karamitrou-Mentessidi, Nikos Efstratiou, Małgorzata Kaczanowska & Janusz K. Kozłowski Eurasian Prehistory 12 (1-2) (2015): 47-116

Περίληψη (στα Αγγλικά)

Recent excavations at the Early Neolithic settlement of Mavropigi in western Macedonia, Greece have provided new and important evidence for early farming developments in the region and over a wide geographical zone from western Anatolia to the Adriatic coast and adjacent areas. The site represents a rare archaeological example of a fully uncovered early farming community which settled in western Greek Macedonia just before the middle of the 7th millemium cal BC. The rich material record of Mavropigi offers valuable insights into important aspects of the cultural identity of early farmers, and of the technological traditions (architectural, building), production (agriculture, husbandry) and ideological practices (figurines, burials). The full exposure of the settlement, the clarity of its spatial features and their high chronological resolution provides a controlled context of reference for the study of the material record as will become clear in the presentation of the chipped stone industries which is the main focus of the paper. It is clear that the early date of the lithic assemblage of the site provides a fair account of the chipped technology, introduced by the first agriculturalists to northern Greece in the Early Neolithic period, and of affinities with contemporary communities in the area and the preceding local tradition.