Stone Age Seafaring in the Mediterranean 147 Athens at Studies

Hesperia Hesperia The Journal of the American School Athens of Classical Studies at Athens at Volume 79: number 2, April–June number 2, 2010 79: Volume Volume 79: number 2 April–June 2010 Studies Classical of School American The 2010 Copyright pages 145–304 pages American School of Classical Studies at Athens 2010 0018-098X(201006)79:2;1-H hesperia Tracey Cullen, Editor Hesperia Supplements Editorial Advisory Board 1 S. Dow, Prytaneis: A Study of the Inscriptions Honoring the Athenian Councillors (1937) Carla M. Antonaccio, Duke University 2 R. S. Young, Late Geometric Graves and a Seventh-Century Well in the Agora (1939) Angelos Chaniotis, Oxford University 3 G. P. Stevens, The Setting of the Periclean Parthenon (1940) Jack L. Davis, American School of Classical Studies at Athens 4 H. A. Thompson, The Tholos of Athens and Its Predecessors (1940) 5 W. B. Dinsmoor, Observations on the Hephaisteion (1941) A. A. Donohue, Bryn Mawr College 6 J. H. Oliver, The Sacred Gerusia (1941) Jan Driessen, Université Catholique de Louvain 7 G. R. Davidson and D. B. Thompson, Small Objects from the Pnyx: I (1943) Marian H. Feldman, University of California, Berkeley 8 Commemorative Studies in Honor of Theodore Leslie Shear (1949) Gloria Ferrari Pinney, Harvard University 9 J. V. A. Fine, Horoi: Studies in Mortgage, Real Security, and Land Tenure in Ancient Athens Sherry C. Fox, American School of Classical Studies at Athens (1951) 10 L. Talcott, B. Philippaki, G. R. Edwards, and V. R. Grace, Small Objects from the Pnyx: II (1956) Athens Thomas W. Gallant, University of California, San Diego 11 J. R. McCredie, Fortified Military Camps in Attica (1966) at Sharon E. J. Gerstel, University of California, Los Angeles 12 D. J. Geagan, The Athenian Constitution after Sulla (1967) Guy M. Hedreen, Williams College 13 J. H. Oliver, Marcus Aurelius: Aspects of Civic and Cultural Policy in the East (1970) Carol C. Mattusch, George Mason University 14 J. S. Traill, The Political Organization of Attica (1975) Alexander Mazarakis Ainian, University of Thessaly at Volos 15 S. V. Tracy, The Lettering of an Athenian Mason (1975) Studies Lisa C. Nevett, University of Michigan 16 M. K. Langdon, A Sanctuary of Zeus on Mount Hymettos (1976) 17 T. L. Shear Jr., Kallias of Sphettos and the Revolt of Athens in 268 B.C. (1978) Josiah Ober, Stanford University 18 L. V. Watrous, Lasithi: A History of Settlement on a Highland Plain in Crete (1982) John K. Papadopoulos, University of California, Los Angeles 19 Studies in Attic Epigraphy, History, and Topography Presented to Eugene Vanderpool (1982) Jeremy B. Rutter, Dartmouth College 20 Studies in Athenian Architecture, Sculpture, and Topography Presented to Homer A. Thompson (1982) Classical A. J. S. Spawforth, Newcastle University 21 J. E. Coleman, Excavations at Pylos in Elis (1986) 22 E. J. Walters, Attic Grave Reliefs That Represent Women in the Dress of Isis (1988) of Monika Trümper, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 23 C. Grandjouan, Hellenistic Relief Molds from the Athenian Agora (1989) 24 J. S. Soles, The Prepalatial Cemeteries at Mochlos and Gournia and the House Tombs of Bronze Age Hesperia is published quarterly by the American School of Classical Studies at Crete (1992) Athens. Founded in 1932 to publish the work of the American School, the jour- 25 S. I. Rotroff and J. H. Oakley, Debris from a Public Dining Place in the Athenian Agora (1992) School nal now welcomes submissions from all scholars working in the fields of Greek 26 I. S. Mark, The Sanctuary of Athena Nike in Athens: Architectural Stages and Chronology (1993) archaeology, art, epigraphy, history, materials science, ethnography, and literature, 27 N. A. Winter, ed., Proceedings of the International Conference on Greek Architectural Terracottas of from earliest prehistoric times onward. Hesperia is a refereed journal, indexed in the Classical and Hellenistic Periods, December 12–15, 1991 (1994) 28 D. A. Amyx and P. Lawrence, Studies in Archaic Corinthian Vase Painting (1996) Abstracts in Anthropology, L’Année philologique, Art Index, Arts and Humanities 29 R. S. Stroud, The Athenian Grain-Tax Law of 374/3 B.C. (1998) American Citation Index, Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals, Current Contents, IBZ: 30 J. W. Shaw, A. Van de Moortel, P. M. Day, and V. Kilikoglou, A LM IA Ceramic Kiln in South- Internationale Bibliographie der geistes- und sozialwissenschaftlichen Zeitschriften- Central Crete: Function and Pottery Production (2001) The literatur, Numismatic Literature, Periodicals Contents Index, Russian Academy of 31 J. K. Papadopoulos, Ceramicus Redivivus: The Early Iron Age Potters’ Field in the Area of the Clas- Sciences Bibliographies, and TOCS-IN. The journal is also a member of CrossRef. sical Athenian Agora (2003) 32 J. Wiseman and K. Zachos, eds., Landscape Archaeology in Southern Epirus,Greece I (2003) 2010 33 A. P. Chapin, ed., ΧΑΡΙΣ: Essays in Honor of Sara A. Immerwahr (2004) The American School of Classical Studies at Athens is a research and teaching 34 F. Zarinebaf, J. Bennet, and J. L. Davis, A Historical and Economic Geography of Ottoman Greece: institution dedicated to the advanced study of the archaeology, art, history, The Southwestern Morea in the 18th Century (2005) philosophy, language, and literature of Greece and the Greek world. Established 35 G. S. Merker, The Greek Tile Works at Corinth (2006) in 1881 by a consortium of nine American universities, the School now serves 36 P. P. Betancourt, The Chrysokamino Metallurgy Workshop and Its Territory (2006) 37 N. M. Dimitrova, Theoroi and Initiates in Samothrace: The Epigraphical Evidence (2008) Copyright graduate students and scholars from more than 180 affiliated colleges and uni- 38 M. B. Walbank, Fragmentary Decrees from the Athenian Agora (2008) versities, acting as a base for research and study in Greece. As part of its mission, 39 Y. A. Lolos, Land of Sikyon: The Archaeology and History of a Greek City-State (forthcoming) the School directs on going excavations in the Athenian Agora and at Corinth 40 S. Davies and J. L. Davis, eds., Between Venice and Istanbul: Colonial Landscapes in Early Modern and sponsors all other American-led excavations and surveys on Greek soil. It Greece (2007) is the official link between American archaeologists and classicists and the Ar- 41 A. Cohen and J. B. Rutter, eds., Constructions of Childhood in Ancient Greece and Italy (2007) chaeological Service of the Greek Ministry of Culture and, as such, is dedicated 42 A. L. D’Agata and A. Van de Moortel, eds., Archaeologies of Cult: Essays on Ritual and Cult in (2009) to the wise management of cultural resources and to the dissemination of knowl- Crete in Honor of Geraldine C. Gesell 43 L. A. Schepartz, S. C. Fox, and C. Bourbou, eds., New Directions in the Skeletal Biology of Greece edge of the classical world. Inquiries about programs or membership in the (2009) School should be sent to the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, 6–8 Charlton Street, Princeton, New Jersey 08540-5232. hesperia 79 (2010) Stone Age Seafaring Pages 145–190 in the Mediterranean Evidence from the Plakias Region for Lower Palaeolithic and Mesolithic Habitation of Crete Athens at ABSTRACT Studies A survey in 2008 and 2009 on the southwestern coast of Crete in the region of Plakias documented 28 preceramic lithic sites. Sites were identified with artifacts of Mesolithic type similar to assemblages from the Greek mainland and islands, and some had evidence of Lower Palaeolithic occupation dated Classical by geological context to at least 130,000 years ago. The long period of sepa- ration (more than 5,000,000 years) of Crete from any landmass implies that of the early inhabitants of Crete reached the island using seacraft capable of open-sea navigation and multiple journeys—a finding that pushes the history of seafaring in the Mediterranean back by more than 100,000 years and has School important implications for the dispersal of early humans. INTRODUCTION American How did early humans (hominins) from Africa reach Europe in the Pleis- tocene? Were they confined to the Near Eastern land corridor, or did they The cross the Mediterranean? When did seafaring in the form of deliberate, direct transpelagic crossings begin? When did early humans first reach 2010 Crete, an island for some 5,000,000 years that was until recently thought to have been inhabited for the first time only in the Neolithic period? These are a few of the questions posed by recent discoveries in southwestern Crete, where the Plakias Survey project has conducted two seasons of archaeologi- cal reconnaissance, in 2008 and 2009.1 The area surveyed is located on the Copyright 1. The Plakias Survey project was graphic Society, and Providence Col- also like to thank Nina Kyparissi- conducted under the auspices of the lege. For help in the field, we thank Apostolika (director of the Ephoreia American School of Classical Studies Natalie Cooper, Chad DiGregorio, of Palaeoanthropology and Speleol- at Athens and the Greek Ministry of Doug Faulmann, Tammie Gerke, ogy of Southern Greece) and Maria Culture (Ephoreia of Palaeoanthro- Hannah Johnson, and Epaminondas Andreadaki-Vlazaki (director of the pology and Speleology of Southern Kapranos. The director of the Ameri- 25th Ephoreia of Prehistoric and Greece and the 25th Ephoreia of can School of Classical Studies, Jack Classical Antiquities) for their sup- Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities). Davis, and staff members, in particular port. Finally, we are grateful to the The project was funded by the Institute Maria Pilali, are to be thanked for their anonymous Hesperia reviewers for for Aegean Prehistory, the Loeb Clas- support of our project and their assis- their helpful suggestions. sical Foundation, the National Geo- tance in practical matters. We would © The American School of Classical Studies at Athens 146 thomas f.

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