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Early Neolithic Settlement of Mavropigi in Western Greek Macedonia

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Early Neolithic Settlement of Mavropigi in Western Greek Macedonia (XUDVLDQ3UHKLVWRU\ ± ): 47± EARLY NEOLITHIC SETTLEMENT OF MAVROPIGI IN WESTERN GREEK MACEDONIA *HRUJLD.DUDPLWURX0HQWHVVLGL 1, Nikos Efstratiou 2, 0DáJRU]DWD.DF]DQRZVND 3-DQXV]..R]áRZVNL 4 $UFKDHRORJLFDO0XVHXPRI$LDQL.R]DQL*UHHFH 'HSDUWPHQWRI$UFKDHRORJ\8QLYHUVLW\RI7KHVVDORQLNL*UHHFHHIVWUDWL#KLVWDXWKJU 37KH3ROLVK$FDGHP\RI$UWVDQG6FLHQFHV6áDZNRZVNDVWUHHW.UDNyZ3RODQG PDOJRU]DWDNDF]#ZSSO 4,QVWLWXWHRI$UFKDHRORJ\-DJLHOORQLDQ8QLYHUVLW\*RáĊELDVWUHHW .UDNyZ3RODQG MDQXV]NR]ORZVNL#XMHGXSO 1. $උർඁൺൾඈඅඈ඀ංർൺඅංඇඏൾඌඍං඀ൺඍංඈඇඌඈൿඍඁൾඌංඍൾඈൿ0ൺඏඋඈඉං඀ං *HRUJLD.DUDPLWURX0HQWHVVLGL1LNRV(IVWUDWLRX Abstract 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 7 th 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 WUDGLWLRQV DUFKLWHFWXUDOEXLOGLQJ SURGXFWLRQ DJULFXOWXUHKXVEDQGU\ DQGLGHRORJLFDOSUDFWLFHV ¿JXULQHVEXULDOV 7KHIXOO 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 LVWKHPDLQIRFXVRIWKHSDSHU,WLVFOHDUWKDWWKHHDUO\GDWHRIWKHOLWKLFDVVHPEODJHRIWKHVLWHSURYLGHVDIDLUDFFRXQWRIWKH FKLSSHGWHFKQRORJ\LQWURGXFHGE\WKH¿UVWDJULFXOWXUDOLVWVWRQRUWKHUQ*UHHFHLQWKH(DUO\1HROLWKLFSHULRGDQGRIDI¿QLWLHVZLWK contemporary communities in the area and the preceding local tradition. Keywords: Greek Neolithic, early farming, Early Neolithic architecture, LPSUHVVR ceramic INTRODUCTION 2005:511) (Fig. 1). This is seen as a welcome opportunity to enrich the otherwise outdated The archaeology of early farming groups in archaeological record of the Early Neolithic QRUWKHUQ*UHHFHKDVEHHQVLJQL¿FDQWO\HQKDQFHG period in the region which, with the exception LQ UHFHQW \HDUV E\ D QXPEHU RI QHZ ¿HOG RI D IHZ UHFHQW H[FDYDWLRQV 3DOLDPEHOOD projects in western Macedonia, including both .ROLQGURV 5HYHQLD.RULQRV *LDQQLWVD $ DQG surface reconnaissance work and large scale B), includes sites excavated during the 60’s and rescue excavations triggered by public works in 70’s (Nea Nikomedeia, Servia) and characterized the area (construction of highways, electricity by a predominantly rescue character (Rodden, SRZHUSODQWV .DUDPLWURX0HQWHVVLGL 1964:110; Andreou HWDO ., 1996:33; Perlès, 2001). 48 G. Karamitrou-Mentessidi, N. Efstratiou Fig. 1. Map of Greece and the region of western Macedonia 0RUHRYHUUHFHQW¿HOGZRUNLQZHVWHUQ0DFHGRQLD SDUWLDOO\ .DUDPLWURX0HQWHVVLGL ,W marks an involuntary but noticeable shift of is clear, therefore, that the quality of the evidence archaeological interest from the plain of Thessaly provided by each of these archaeological cases D SULPH DUHD RI (DUO\ 1HROLWKLF UHVHDUFK IRU varies depending on the extent of the investigated many decades in Greece – to the lake basins and area and the prompt study and publication of its the low hills of the northwest (Fig. 2). More than material record. This renewed interest in northern forty Early Neolithic sites have been recorded *UHHFHDQGPRVWVSHFL¿FDOO\ZHVWHUQ0DFHGRQLD so far in the wider western Greek Macedonia is particularly welcomed because it brings region although, regretfully, only a handful together evidence for early farming developments of them have been excavated, most of them from western Anatolia to the Adriatic coast and Early Neolithic settlement of Mavropigi in western Greek Macedonia 49 Fig. 2. The location of the site of Mavropigi in the Ptolemaida basin and area of .LWULQLDQG/LPQL adjacent areas, and their dynamic relationships gradually revealing aspects of the cultural identity (Perlès, 2014:403). This is the demarcation of a of these early farmers, and of the technological geographical zone which witnessed the transfer traditions (architectural, building) and, production RI SHRSOH DQG REMHFWV DV ZHOO DV WKH ÀRZ RI (agriculture, husbandry) and ideological practices habits and practices in all directions, involving ¿JXULQHVEXULDOV ZKLFKWKH\EURXJKWZLWKWKHP different scales of interaction and suggesting a when they arrived in the area sometime around dynamic early farming archaeological scene; the 6,600 cal BC; one can also trace how all these chronology of these early farming groups in this developed during the next seven hundred years extended cultural zone covers a period of over of uninterrupted settled life through social, 500 years, with a series of radiocarbon dates economic and technological interaction within the converging to just after the beginning of the 7 th YLOODJHDQGZLWKRWKHUFRPPXQLWLHV .DUDPLWURX PLOOHQLXPFDO%& g]GR÷DQ Mentessidi HWDO ., 2013; Bonga, in press). 7KH WZR\HDU ORQJ LQYHVWLJDWLRQV DW WKH VLWH What follows is a summarizing presentation RI 0DYURSLJL )LORWVDLUL (thereafter Mavropigi) of the different categories of archaeological in the Ptolemaida basin – a former marshy land material from Mavropigi, which will help to put known as .LWULQL /LPQL HOHYDWLRQ DVO in chronological and cultural context the chipped between the mountains of Vermion and Askiou stone production of the site, discussed later in DQGDQDUHDULFKLQSUHKLVWRULFVLWHV .DUDPLWURX WKH SDSHU ,W LV FOHDU WKDW WKH LPSRUWDQFH RI WKH 0HQWHVVLGL ± KDYH IXO¿OOHG PDQ\ lithic assemblage of Mavropigi lies in its early of the initial expectations; in fact, it is a rare date, providing a fair account of the chipped archaeological example of a fully uncovered early WHFKQRORJ\LQWURGXFHGE\WKH¿UVWDJULFXOWXUDOLVWV farming community which settled in western to northern Greece around the middle of the 7 th Greek Macedonia just before the middle of the PLOOHQLXP%&DQGRIDI¿QLWLHVZLWKFRQWHPSRUDU\ 7th millenium cal BC (Fig. 2). The ongoing study communities in the area and the preceding local of the rich material record of Mavropigi is Mesolithic tradition. 50 G. Karamitrou-Mentessidi, N. Efstratiou The excavation Energy Board (and unfortunately lost forever), was impressive for its large scale exposure and The archaeological site of Mavropigi – the full complete architectural plan (Fig. 5). Without extent of which covers half a hectare – was XQGHUHVWLPDWLQJWKHGLI¿FXOW\RIIXOO\LQWHUSUHWLQJ systematically investigated by opening a number the architectural plan of the settlement, it is fair of trenches and excavation squares (5 by 5m) to say that most of the dominant ground features and employing rigorous recovery techniques (dry (dwellings, pits, burials, foundation channels VLHYLQJ ÀRWDWLRQ VDPSOLQJ HWF )LJ 7KH FXW RQ WKH VXUIDFH DUH ZHOO GH¿QHG )LJ opportunity to fully expose an Early Neolithic Although the use of some minor features, like the village to enable comprehensive studies of the multidirectional series of postholes and structures arrangement of built space (architectural layouts, seen in the plan, is still ambiguous, Neolithic construction techniques), open areas and burial Mavropigi provides unique contextual evidence, grounds, as well as of everyday activities carried of varying scale, quality and intensity, depending out in the settlement (workshops, refuse areas, RQWKHH[FDYDWHGSDUWRIWKHVHWWOHPHQW,QGHHG etc.) was fully taken advantage of (Fig. 4). The a number of habitation units are represented by view of the site, after it was fully exposed and ZHOOGH¿QHG DUFKLWHFWXUDO IHDWXUHV GHVFULEHG before the area was expropriated by the Greek as ‘houses’ and ‘pits’ and supported by sound stratigraphic sequences and architectural features and often by a consistent series of absolute dates which fall within the time span of the Early Neolithic period in Greece (Perlès, 2001; 0DQLDWLV¿J ,WLVLPSRUWDQWWRVWUHVVWKDW the settlement at Mavropigi lasted without any noticeable interruption for a few hundred years, roughly from 6,600 to 5,900 BC (see chronology section). The full exposure of the settlement, the clarity of its spatial features and their high chronological resolution provided a controlled context of reference for the study of the material record as will become clear in the presentation of the chipped stone industries. Fig. 3. View of the excavation The architecture After two years of systematic excavation the architectural plan of Mavropigi appears almost FRPSOHWH )LJ 0RUH VSHFL¿FDOO\ WKH EXLOW area of the settlement is marked by an impressive large oval pit, the &HQWUDO 2U\JPD 3LW+RXVH thereafter) which dominates the central part of WKHVLWHDQGDQXPEHURIZHOOGH¿QHGUHFWDQJXODU structures (Houses) arranged to the north and east of it (Figs 5 and 6). The remains of other LOOGH¿QHGVWUXFWXUHV±PRVWSUREDEO\GZHOOLQJV – have also been revealed in the southwest part of the :HVWHUQ2U\JPD together with the remains RI D VHULHV RI SRVWKROHV VXFFHVVLYH ÀRRUV DQG Fig. 4. A panoramic view of the excavated area after the end IHDWXUHVPDGHRIFOD\RUOLPHVWRQH ¿UHSODFHV of the dig etc.) (Fig. 5). Early Neolithic settlement of Mavropigi in western Greek Macedonia 51 Fig. 5. The architectural plan of Mavropigi The 3LW+RXVH ( &HQWUDO2U\JPD ZDVWKH¿UVW FKDUDFWHU GHSWK RI GHSRVLW P KDG D structure built by the newly arrived farmers and it SDUWLDOO\SUHVHUYHGSODVWHUÀRRUGRXEOHGLQVL]H remained in full use during the whole life of the and its contents
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