The Lower and Middle Paleolithic of Thessaly, Greece

Runnels, Curtis; Andel, Tjeerd H. van

doi:10.1179/jfa.1993.20.3.299

Cited by 16 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…The timing of Mousterian activity in southwestern Messenia fits within the chronology of Mousterian sites reported in northern Greece (Bailey, Papaconstantinou, & Sturdy, 1992;Huxtable et al, 1992;Runnels & van Andel, 1993, 2003 and the Peloponnese (Pope, Runnels, & Ku, 1984;Runnels, 1988;Runnels & van Andel, 1993, 2003. Numeric dates developed from sites in Epirus (Asprochaliko), Thessaly, and Argolis place the later phase of the Mousterian between 40 and 30 ka (Bailey, Papaconstantinou, & Sturdy, 1992;Huxtable et al, 1992;Parkinson & Cherry, 2010), indicating reasonable agreement with the ages calculated for the sites in Navarino.…”

Section: Discussion Of Osl Resultssupporting

confidence: 82%

“…Typologically, the Early Mousterian is typified by large-sized artifacts and the frequent use of the Levallois technique. Conversely, the Late Mousterian, which spans the period between 55,000 and 30,000 years ago in southern Greece (Pope, Runnels, & Ku, 1984;Runnels, 1988;Runnels & van Andel, 1993, 2003, is represented by smaller artifacts, points, and sidescrapers. The lithic assemblage of I-28 easily fits within the Late Mousterian framework of Greece.…”

Section: Description and Relative Chronology Of The Paleolithic Assemmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Exploring Paleogeographic Conditions at TwoPaleolithic Sites inNavarino, SouthwestGreece, Dated by Optically Stimulated Luminescence

et al. 2012

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In this paper, we employed optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of sediments from two archaeological sites located in Navarino, Messenia, southwestern Greece, to deduce a chronology for the archaeological sites. Archaeological surveys identified two Paleolithic sites on fossilized coastal dunes. Chipped stone tool assemblages were identified eroding out of paleosols developed in the dunes. The assemblage from one site lacked distinct typological features and hence it was difficult to assign to a chronological period. The lithic assemblage from the other site contained artifacts that typologically can be assigned to the Levallois‐Mousterian. Previous efforts to date the artifact‐bearing sediments at these sites were unsuccessful. Using newer OSL dating methods (i.e., the Single‐Aliquot‐Regenerated Dose protocol and thermally transferred‐OSL[TT‐OSL]), we attempted to construct a chronological framework for Late Pleistocene human activity in the southwest Peloponnese. The revised OSL chronology for the first site is 28 ± 5 ka, while a luminescence age of 8 ± 1 ka for the second site only represents a later deflation event. Within the framework of Quaternary environmental change, the location of Paleolithic sites relative to the coast would have changed during the course of the Pleistocene. As a result, Paleolithic exploitation strategies would have been strongly influenced by the changing coastal geomorphology, encouraging hominids to adapt to new distributions of resources. OSL dating of the archaeological sites allowed us to connect traces of hominid activity with climatic stadials/interstadials of the later Pleistocene derived from existing relative sea‐level curves. Ultimately, these data permitted the reconstruction of regional Late Pleistocene paleogeography. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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Section: Discussion Of Osl Resultssupporting

confidence: 82%

Section: Description and Relative Chronology Of The Paleolithic Assemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring Paleogeographic Conditions at TwoPaleolithic Sites inNavarino, SouthwestGreece, Dated by Optically Stimulated Luminescence

et al. 2012

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“…As they infiltrated Europe, archaic humans, it seems, carefully chose where to live, and it may be that climate and resources were the primary determining factors: the need for shelter, access to raw materials and prey routes, and fresh water. For example, the vast majority of Lower Paleolithic sites in Greece (none, with the exception of Petralona, are associated with human remains) have been found near water (Runnels, 1995, p. 710), many along the banks of rivers such as the Peneios in Thessaly (Runnels and Van Andel, 1993a). Early humans in Epirus, such as at Kokkinopilos where a handaxe was found in 1991 (Runnels and Van Andel, 1993b), exploited the rich resources of so-called poljes, karstic features that supported marshes and lakes (Runnels and Van Andel, 2003).…”

Section: Paleolithic Settlement: It's the Ecology Stupid Or Ismentioning

confidence: 98%

European Regional Studies: A Coming of Age?

Galaty

2005

J Archaeol Res

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This article reviews current developments in European regional studies. A brief history of settlement archaeology as practiced in Europe is followed by a discussion of new approaches to regional analysis and surface survey. I argue that recent, steady investments in the technology, methods, and theory of regional archaeological analysis and surface survey have stimulated advances in the study of settlement patterns and settlement pattern change through time in many parts of Europe. When innovative technologies (e.g., remote sensing, GPS, GIS), methods (e.g., geoarchaeology, "siteless" survey), and new theoretical frameworks (both processual and postprocessual) have been combined, breakthroughs in our understanding of European settlement have resulted. In the last half of the article, I describe some of these breakthroughs in a broad discussion of European settlement history, beginning with the earliest prehistory of Europe through the Middle Ages. Shifts in perspective are particularly apparent for phases of transition: from the Middle to Upper Paleolithic, Paleolithic to Mesolithic to Neolithic, and with the rise and expansion of states.

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“…In 1987, C Runnels from Boston University started surface research with the goal to determine chronologically the Middle Paleolithic period in Greece. He found and collected tools from the Middle and Upper Paleolithic period without finding, however, any workshops for their production (Runnels 1988(Runnels , 1993. Thus, he was led to the conclusion that during this period the area of Thessaly was not inhabited but was only periodically visited by various groups of hunters from other areas, and that the tools found from the Upper Paleolithic period should belong to them.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Cave of Theopetra, Kalambaka: Radiocarbon Evidence for 50,000 Years of Human Presence

Facorellis

Kyparissi‐Apostolika²,

Maniatis

2001

Radiocarbon

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The cave of Theopetra is located on the northeast side of a limestone rock formation, 3 km south of Kalambaka (21°40′46′′E, 39°40′51′′N), in Thessaly, central Greece. It is a unique prehistoric site for Greece, as the Middle and Upper Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic periods are present here, bridging the Pleistocene with the Holocene. Several alternations of the climate during the Pleistocene are recognized in its stratigraphy. Among the most striking finds, two human skeletons, one from the Upper Paleolithic period after the Last Glacial Maximum and one from the Mesolithic period, should be emphasized, while in a deep Middle Paleolithic layer, the oldest human footprints, with remains of fire, were uncovered.During the 13 years of excavation, evidence of human activity suitable for radiocarbon dating was collected, such as charcoal samples from hearths and bones from the two human skeletons. The use of proportional counters for the measurement of 14C in combination with the recent improvement of the calibration curve has enabled the production of high-precision reliable ages. Sixty 14C-dated samples, originating from 19 pits and from depths ranging from 0.10 m to 4.20 m, have already provided an absolute time framework for the use of the cave. The earliest limit of human presence probably exceeds 48,000 BP and the latest reaches World War II. Within these limits the 14C dating of samples from consecutive layers, in combination with the archaeological data, permits the resolution of successive anthropogenic and environmental events.

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The Lower and Middle Paleolithic of Thessaly, Greece

Cited by 16 publications

References 20 publications

Exploring Paleogeographic Conditions at TwoPaleolithic Sites inNavarino, SouthwestGreece, Dated by Optically Stimulated Luminescence

Exploring Paleogeographic Conditions at TwoPaleolithic Sites inNavarino, SouthwestGreece, Dated by Optically Stimulated Luminescence

European Regional Studies: A Coming of Age?

The Cave of Theopetra, Kalambaka: Radiocarbon Evidence for 50,000 Years of Human Presence

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