The Early Neolithic in Greece: The First Farming Communities in Europe (Cambridge World Archaeology)

Cover......Page 1
Half-title......Page 3
Series-title......Page 4
Title......Page 5
Copyright......Page 6
Dedication......Page 7
CONTENTS......Page 9
FIGURES......Page 11
TABLES......Page 14
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS......Page 15
INTRODUCTION......Page 17
Topography......Page 25
Soils......Page 26
Climate......Page 29
Vegetation......Page 30
Natural resources: plants and animals......Page 32
Mineral resources......Page 34
An elusive Mesolithic: absence of evidence or evidence of absence?......Page 36
Early Holocene Greece: a difficult environment for hunter-gatherers?......Page 41
The cultural originality of the Greek Mesolithic......Page 47
Conclusion......Page 52
Indigenist models and the claims for the local domestication of plants and animals......Page 54
A long-lasting misinterpretation: the local domestication of plants at Franchthi......Page 55
The claims for animal domestication in Europe......Page 57
The exchange of livestock, seeds and techniques: an encyclopedic knowledge......Page 58
Local processes: the demographic problems......Page 60
An inescapable hypothesis: the presence of foreign colonists......Page 61
Continuity and discontinuity of occupation at Franchthi......Page 62
The evidence from Sidari......Page 65
The role of Mesolithic groups in the development of farming......Page 66
The ‘random’ parallels between Greece and the Near East......Page 68
Farming expansion and the loss of cultural identity......Page 72
The colonization of Greece: an insular model......Page 74
Of multicultural pioneer groups......Page 78
A biased debate......Page 80
The sites and excavations......Page 82
Gediki......Page 84
Sesklo......Page 85
Achilleion......Page 86
Dendra......Page 87
Architectural remains......Page 89
Bone and stone artefacts......Page 94
A ‘Ceramic’ Neolithic: baked clay figurines and artefacts......Page 95
The uncertain status of the ‘pre-pottery’ sherds......Page 96
14C dates: arguments for a discrete phase......Page 100
Archaeological contexts and internal consistency with in each site......Page 101
Internal consistency of the ‘pre-pottery’ dates......Page 106
Comparisons with the Mesolithic dates......Page 108
Comparison with the Early Neolithic dates......Page 109
From chronology back to pot production: Greece and the Near East......Page 111
Conclusion......Page 112
The definitions of the Early Neolithic in Greece......Page 114
Chronology and duration of the Early Neolithic......Page 115
Dates seemingly too young......Page 124
The central dates......Page 125
Early Neolithic subphases and facies......Page 126
Hills and sedimentary basins......Page 129
The east/west contrasts......Page 132
North–south contrasts......Page 134
CHAPTER 7 A CASE STUDY IN EARLY NEOLITHIC SETTLEMENT PATTERNS: EASTERN THESSALY......Page 137
The geology of the Larissa plain......Page 138
The settlement-rich zone......Page 141
The settlement-void zone......Page 144
EN1 settlements......Page 147
EN2 settlement patterns......Page 148
Regional distribution of the sites......Page 150
A non-random distribution......Page 151
Theoretical ‘areal’ territory.......Page 153
Regional variations......Page 155
Synthesis......Page 159
From environmental to socioeconomic factors......Page 160
The EN3 facies......Page 163
The abandonment of EN2/EN3 settlements......Page 164
Conclusion......Page 166
CHAPTER 8 EARLY NEOLITHIC SUBSISTENCE ECONOMY: THE DOMESTIC AND THE WILD......Page 168
The cultivated plants......Page 170
The exploitation of wild plant resources......Page 178
Agricultural system......Page 180
Animal husbandry......Page 182
The exploitation of wild animals......Page 186
Conclusion......Page 187
CHAPTER 9 THE EARLY NEOLITHIC VILLAGE......Page 189
The nature of the settlements: mound settlements or flat sites?......Page 190
Village size and population......Page 192
The architecture of the buildings......Page 196
A first stage: pit-houses?......Page 200
The typical EN buildings: plans and dimensions......Page 202
Raw materials and building techniques......Page 204
Internal features......Page 208
‘Storage pits’, or clay-digging pits?......Page 209
Hearths, fire-pits and ‘ovens’......Page 210
The variability of Early Neolithic architecture in Greece: a few remarks......Page 212
CHAPTER 10 CRAFT SPECIALIZATION: THE CONTRASTING CASES OF CHIPPED-STONE TOOLS, POTTERY AND ORNAMENTS......Page 216
The raw materials......Page 217
Formal and informal tools......Page 219
The organization of raw material procurement......Page 223
The organization of production......Page 224
Manufacture of pots......Page 226
Rate and organization of production......Page 230
The use of pots......Page 232
Pottery and group identity......Page 235
The circulation of pottery......Page 236
Carved stone and shell artefacts......Page 237
Beads: discussions around a specialized workshop at Franchthi......Page 239
CHAPTER 11 A VARIETY OF DAILY CRAFTS......Page 243
War weapons or shepherds’ implements? The ubiquitous sling bullets......Page 244
Forest clearance or multipurpose tools: the polished stone blades......Page 247
Raw materials......Page 248
Axes, adzes and chisels......Page 249
Diachronic perspective......Page 252
The selection of species and anatomical parts......Page 253
Manufacturing techniques......Page 254
Grinding, pounding and polishing......Page 257
Matting and basketry......Page 259
Spinning and spindle whorls......Page 262
Weaving: of elusive loom-weights, bobbins and sherd-dics......Page 264
Seals or textile stamps?......Page 268
CHAPTER 12 RITUAL INTERACTION? THE MINIATURE WORLD OF ‘DOLLS OR DEITIES’......Page 271
The anthropomorphic figurines......Page 272
The emergence of the human figure......Page 273
Distribution between sites and regions......Page 276
Context of recovery and modalities of use......Page 278
Human representations on vessels......Page 280
Zoomorphic .gurines......Page 281
Miniatures and replicas......Page 283
Collective ritual buildings?......Page 287
CHAPTER 13 INTERACTING WITH THE DEAD: FROM THE DISPOSAL OF THE BODY TO FUNERARY RITUALS......Page 289
The norm? Burial ground and cremations at Soufli......Page 290
Accounting for the exceptions: intra-settlement pit-burials......Page 292
Ossuaries, secondary burials or ancestor cults?......Page 295
Discussion......Page 296
The status of the individual......Page 299
Interaction within the village community......Page 306
Trade or warfare?......Page 309
Trade and exchange......Page 310
Conclusion......Page 313
CONCLUSION......Page 315
BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 322
INDEX......Page 360