Η μελέτη αυτή επικεντρώνεται στην αρχαιολογική μαρτυρία της Κρήτης κατά την Παλαιολιθική εποχή, εξετάζοντας τα ευρήματα από την Νότια Κρήτη και την Γαύδο. Ασχολείται με την υπόθεση για μετακινήσεις μέσω θαλάσσης κατά το Πλειστόκαινο στο... more
Η μελέτη αυτή επικεντρώνεται στην αρχαιολογική μαρτυρία της Κρήτης κατά την Παλαιολιθική εποχή, εξετάζοντας τα ευρήματα από την Νότια Κρήτη και την Γαύδο. Ασχολείται με την υπόθεση για μετακινήσεις μέσω θαλάσσης κατά το Πλειστόκαινο στο Αιγαίο ή την Μεσόγειο με κριτική ματιά επιχειρώντας την αξιοποίηση των αρχαιολογικών, παλαιοανθρωπολογικών και παλαιογεωγραφικών δεδομένων. Συγκεκριμένα, γίνεται σύγκριση των παλαιολιθικών ευρημάτων από την Κρήτη με θέσεις της Μέσης Εποχής του Λίθου από τη Βόρεια Αφρική, και της Κατώτερης και Μέσης Παλαιολιθικής από την Δυτική Ασία και το Αιγαίο. Η προσέγγιση του θέματος γίνεται μέσω αφενός της ενδελεχούς βιβλιογραφικής επισκόπησης της ‘σύγχρονης συμπεριφοράς’ και αφετέρου της αναλυτικής παρουσίασης της τυπολογίας αλλά και της πρώτης ύλης των λίθινων ευρημάτων. Συγκεκριμένα, καταγράφονται οι διαφορετικές τάσεις της σύγχρονης έρευνας για τον ορισμό της ‘σύγχρονης συμπεριφοράς’, όπως ορίζεται το σύνολο των δεξιοτήτων τις οποίες έχει αποκτήσει το είδος μας. Η εκτενής παρουσίαση των λιθοτεχνιών από τις σχετικές δημοσιεύσεις δεν περιορίζεται στην καταγραφή των ευρημάτων αλλά προχωρά σε μία σύγκριση και αντιπαραβολή της τυπολογίας τους με αντίστοιχα από παλαιολιθικές θέσεις της Μεσογείου καθώς και μια καταγραφή των θεωρητικών τάσεων για την Αχελαία τεχνοπολιτισμική παράδοση. Επίσης, εξετάζει τις ιδιαιτερότητες της πρώτης ύλης των λίθινων ευρημάτων, αξιοποιώντας την σχετική βιβλιογραφία της πειραματικής αρχαιολογίας για τις ιδιότητες λάξευσης του χαλαζία. Με αυτόν τον τρόπο στέκεται κριτικά απέναντι στην πρόταση σχετικής χρονολόγησης των ευρημάτων μέσω της τυπολογίας, την χρήση όρων όπως ‘ατυπική’ και ‘οπορτουνιστική’ για την γενική περιγραφή της λιθοτεχνίας της Παλαιολιθικής Κρήτης και προχωράει σε μια νέα διατύπωση για την ταυτότητά της. Τέλος, αξιοποιώντας όλα τα παραπάνω, επαναδιαπραγματεύεται την υπόθεση για πιθανή μετακίνηση μέσω θαλάσσης προς την Κρήτη κατά το Πλειστόκαινο ειδικά σε ό,τι αφορά την ικανότητα ειδών Homo αρχαιότερων του sapiens να πραγματοποιήσουν τέτοιου είδους μετακινήσεις. This study focuses on the archaeological record of Crete during the Palaeolithic era, examining the finds from South Crete and Gavdos. It is an overview of the archaeological, paleoanthropological and paleogeographical bibliography on the possible Pleistocene marine dispersals in the Aegean and the Mediterranean. In particular, the Palaeolithic finds from Crete are compared with the Middle Stone Age sites from North Africa, and the Lower and Middle Palaeolithic from Western Asia and the Aegean. The bibliographic review of 'modern behaviour and the typology and raw material of stone finds are utilized to address the question of the identity of the initial human presence on the islands of Crete and Gavdos. In particular, the different trends of modern research on the definition of ‘modern behaviour’ are presented, as defined by the set of behavioural and cognitive skills acquired by our species. The lithic assemblages from the relevant publications are compared in terms of typology with similar finds from Palaeolithic sites of the Mediterranean. It also examines the specifics of the raw material of the lithic finds from southern Crete, utilizing the relevant literature of experimental archaeology for quartz knapping properties. In this way, typology is used to suggest an alternative chronology for the finds, while addressing the problematic use of terms such as 'atypical' and 'opportunistic' for the general description of the assemblage of Palaeolithic Crete. Finally, taking under consideration all of the above, the case for possible Pleistocene seaward dispersals to Crete and Gavdos is re-iterated especially in terms of the ability of hominin species other than Homo sapiens to successfully carry out such movements.
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Αναζητώντας εναλλακτικές προσεγγίσεις του παλαιολιθικού παρελθόντος, και του τροφοσυλλεκτικού τρόπου ζωής επιχειρώ να καταγράψω τις πρακτικές των σύγχρονων τροφοσυλλεκτών και να τις συγκρίνω με τα οργανικά ευρήματα σε αρχαιολογικές θέσεις... more
Αναζητώντας εναλλακτικές προσεγγίσεις του παλαιολιθικού παρελθόντος, και του τροφοσυλλεκτικού τρόπου ζωής επιχειρώ να καταγράψω τις πρακτικές των σύγχρονων τροφοσυλλεκτών και να τις συγκρίνω με τα οργανικά ευρήματα σε αρχαιολογικές θέσεις στον Μεσογειακό χώρο. Η συλλογή σαλιγκαριών, αλατιού, χόρτων και θαλασσινών αποτελεί μία από τις παραδοσιακές πρακτικές της ελληνικής υπαίθρου και πιθανόν να ήταν τροφές τις οποίες συνέλλεγαν οι τροφοσυλλέκτες της προϊστορίας.
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The Inner Ionian Archipelago, delimited by the coasts of Akarnania to the east and Lefkada, Kefalonia and Ithaca to the west, is characterised by coastal lowlands, extended and intricate shorelines, complex inland topography, little... more
The Inner Ionian Archipelago, delimited by the coasts of Akarnania to the east and Lefkada, Kefalonia and Ithaca to the west, is characterised by coastal lowlands, extended and intricate shorelines, complex inland topography, little arable land, seasonal and perennial wetlands and a karstic landscape featuring caves, rockshelters, dolines, and basins some of which are partly or totally submerged. Since 2010, the Teleboides, the northern cluster of islands, were at the focus of an intensive surface survey organised by the University of Crete in collaboration with the Ephorates of Αitoloakarnania and Lefkada, and Kefalonia and Ithaca. The survey project coupled with targeted small-scale excavation was designed to investigate the history of occupation and the cultural interconnections with settlements on the opposite mainland and the larger islands of the Ionian Sea. Between 2010 and 2012, through archaeological surface reconnaissance, our team covered an area of a little less than 7 km 2 on Meganisi, Thileia, Kythros, Tsokari, Petalou, Nisopoula, Phormikoula, Madouri, Atokos and Arkoudi. During the survey 30 sites dating from the Palaeolithic to the 19th century, with a hiatus between Late Antiquity and the 18th century, were discovered and mapped, and 20,000 portable artefacts were recovered. The finds bridge the gap between the archaeological record of the Ionian Sea and that of mainland Greece. In this paper we present the research objectives, the methodology of what we have termed a hybrid island archaeology approach, and the main results of the project based on the portable finds that span the Middle Palaeolithic to the Bronze Age.
Research Interests: Maritime Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, Palaeolithic Archaeology, Neolithic Archaeology, Island archaeology, and 10 moreSurvey (Archaeological Method & Theory), Coastal and Island Archaeology, Lithics, Neanderthals (Palaeolithic Archaeology), Archaeological Methodology, Ionian Islands, Maritime anthropology, Neandertals, Lithic Analysis, and Continental Shelf Prehistoric Research
The initial transition from foraging to sedentism and agricultural economy has been described as the 'Neolithic Revolution'. This term implies a wide scale social transformation abiding to the universal laws of 'social evolution'. The... more
The initial transition from foraging to sedentism and agricultural economy has been described as the 'Neolithic Revolution'. This term implies a wide scale social transformation abiding to the universal laws of 'social evolution'. The concepts of revolution in the study of the past and the interpretation of change through the notion of social evolution have both been debated and to a great extent dismissed. The survival of diverse subsistence strategies through the course of space and time have proven that economical systems can co-exist depending on the needs of society. The ethnoarchaeological study of foraging in modern populations has provided interesting insights into the motives behind certain practices that have survived or revived depending on the availability of resources or the cognitive-symbolic meaning of these activities. A variety of approaches to ethnoarchaeological research, ranging from processual (or New Archaeology), to "interpretive" or post-processual, post-Marxist and post-modern, have provided a vast array of interpretations for the observations made on the field. Simple analogies between prehistoric (or even more recent past) and modern population subsistence strategies can offer very little to our understanding of the past, however careful examination of present day foragers can give useful hints to the reasons behind the survival of these practices. The collection of land snails, edible greens, or even salt, constitute foraging practices that live very much up to the present, not only in agricultural societies of the Aegean, but even in the outskirts of urban centres. The reasons behind these choices differ from place to place and may be interpreted in terms of tradition, economic pressure or special dietary needs and preferences. Some of these foods and herbs bear symbolic or even religious meaning, and testify to the diversity of adopted economical models in space and time, disproving notions of revolutions, be that Upper Palaeolithic, Neolithic, or Industrial, and the supposed laws of social evolution. This paper serves as the introduction to an ethnoarchaeological study of foraging in the Aegean, which will include fieldwork in insular landscapes to document the food gathering practices of modern populations and the social and cultural background of individuals and societies.
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The aim of this paper is the relationship between cultural heritage and its appropriation by three different stakeholders: cultural heritage professionals, local communities and those interested in or professionally involved with tourism.... more
The aim of this paper is the relationship between cultural heritage and its appropriation by three different stakeholders: cultural heritage professionals, local communities and those interested in or professionally involved with tourism. We are discussing the notion of a “sustainable cultural heritage management” through two ethnoarchaeological programs conducted on Lesbos, in the NE Aegean under the aegis of the UoCrete Palaeolithic Lesbos project. The first program focuses on the interaction of the locals with the Palaeolithic Lesbos research team and their finds, while the other seeks to document the surviving foraging practices, such as landsnail collection, in an agricultural community.We especially focus on the response to the archaeological finds and the expectation drawn by the local people.
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The rise of nationalist and populist rhetoric, the separatist movements, and the subsequent tensions within and between nations evidence an identity crisis in Europe. It is thus of paramount importance for social cohesion and future peace... more
The rise of nationalist and populist rhetoric, the separatist movements, and the subsequent tensions within and between nations evidence an identity crisis in Europe. It is thus of paramount importance for social cohesion and future peace that we develop a sense of common belonging and a shared past. Educational systems and cultural institutions, such as museums or galleries, primarily focus on local history, mainly of the last 2-3 millennia. Palaeolithic Archaeology can illustrate the fundamental values that define all humans, while at the same time emphasise the importance of mobility, interaction and admixture of cultures.
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The Inner Ionian Archipelago, delimited by the coasts of Akarnania to the east and Lefkada, Kefalonia and Ithaca to the west, is characterised by coastal lowlands, extended and intricate shorelines, complex inland topography, little... more
The Inner Ionian Archipelago, delimited by the coasts of Akarnania to the east and Lefkada, Kefalonia and Ithaca to the west, is characterised by coastal lowlands, extended and intricate shorelines, complex inland topography, little arable land, seasonal and perennial wetlands and a karstic landscape featuring caves, rockshelters, dolines, and basins some of which are partly or totally submerged. Since 2010, the Teleboides, the northern cluster of islands, were at the focus of an intensive surface survey organised by the University of Crete in collaboration with the Ephorates of Αitoloakarnania and Lefkada, and Kefalonia and Ithaca. The survey project coupled with targeted small-scale excavation was designed to investigate the history of occupation and the cultural interconnections with settlements on the opposite mainland and the larger islands of the Ionian Sea. Between 2010 and 2012, through archaeological surface reconnaissance, our team covered an area of a little less than 7 km 2 on Meganisi, Thileia, Kythros, Tsokari, Petalou, Nisopoula, Phormikoula, Madouri, Atokos and Arkoudi. During the survey 30 sites dating from the Palaeolithic to the 19th century, with a hiatus between Late Antiquity and the 18th century, were discovered and mapped, and 20,000 portable artefacts were recovered. The finds bridge the gap between the archaeological record of the Ionian Sea and that of mainland Greece. In this paper we present the research objectives, the methodology of what we have termed a hybrid island archaeology approach, and the main results of the project based on the portable finds that span the Middle Palaeolithic to the Bronze Age.