Neolithic caves of Rhodes
The Neolithic caves of Rhodes , a Greek island in the southeastern Aegean Sea , were explored in more detail in the last quarter of the 20th century.
Surface surveys and the excavation of three settlements and two caves on Rhodes have produced an abundance of prehistoric material that puts the prehistory of the Dodecanese on a new basis. After a systematic inspection of most of the islands and the excavations on Alimia , Gyali and Leros , the picture of a relatively densification of the sites in the Aegean has emerged. The stratigraphy in the Rhodian caves enables the late Neolithic in the Dodecanese to be divided into four phases, which are to be paralleled with four late Chalcolithic phases in Anatolia and the late Neolithic LN Ia, b and LN II a, b) of mainland Greece.
Agios Georgios cave
The earliest settlement is represented in the lower layers of the Agios Georgios cave near Kalithies by potsherds, which have an affinity with the earthenware of the Hacilar and Çatalhöyük cultures of Anatolia and by a calibrated C14 dating to 5700-5600 BC. Could be established. The Kalythies phase I therefore roughly coincides with the beginning of the Late Neolithic on the Greek mainland (5300 / 5200–4900 / 4800 BC).
The layer thicknesses indicate continuous use over a long period of time. In phase I the pottery was burnished, unglazed, monochrome and painted. The painted ceramic (white on dark) is of a type that is also known in the rest of the Aegean ( Chios , Limnos , Mykonos , Saliagos , Samos ) and in Anatolia. In phase II, burnished monochrome and painted ceramics are also produced, but there is a greater variety of shapes. In phase III there are painted and monochrome goods, mainly red with a thick or thin coating. There are a variety of grinding and grinding stones in each level and an abundance of obsidian , the 80% of Milos dates. The abundant remains of fauna include the full range of domesticated domestic animals (cattle, sheep, pigs, goats) of the Neolithic. Parts of deer also seem to have been brought into the cave. Human bones and teeth have been found on all levels, indicating permanent or secondary burials.
Koumelo cave
The 230 m long Koumelo Cave is located in a karst district, an hour's walk from the small town of Archangelos (NS = 36 ° 12'56 EW = 28 ° 6'51 ). Thin layers of sediment separate the strata of the Neolithic, which shows that the cave was used continuously at intervals. The two stratigraphies that were opened were in excellent condition and can be distinguished in two phases. The earlier phase I corresponded to phase II at the Kalythies Cave (Late Aegean Neolithic 3) and the later phase II of the Late Aegean Neolithic 4. Above these Neolithic levels, the cave was filled with a thick deposit of volcanic ash, the analysis of which showed that it was tephra from the Santorini volcano . The tephra came into the cave through the entrance and holes in the roof as a result of a heavy downpour.
literature
- Neolithic caves and settlements in Dodecanes . In: www.rhodes.aegean.gr/...excavations/Dodecanes.
Web links
Coordinates: 36 ° 20 ′ 10 ″ N , 28 ° 10 ′ 27 ″ E