Main Settlements of Neolithic Era Greece
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The Neolithic Era in Ancient Greece took place between 7000 B.C. and 3200 B.C. Initially, people moved into Greece from the Far East via Anatolia, which is located in modern-day Turkey. The era is broken up into a few time periods where the early stages saw the spread of domestic farming and raising of stock animals. Over time, the people developed their architectural skills and started creating specialized tools. Besides these innovations, several settlements began to spring up. Here’s a look at some of the known Ancient Greek settlements that existed during this era:
Nea Nikomedeia
As far as historians and archaeologists can tell, this is one the oldest settlements in Greece. The ancient site is located about two kilometers away from the existing village that bears the same name, which is in the region of Macedonia. Ongoing excavations reveal the details of this site, including the types of homes that were in existence as well as the tools that were used during that time. The height of this settlement took place around 600 B.C.
Sesklo
This is another of the major settlements that came about in the Neolithic period of Ancient Greece. It is located in Thessaly, which is on the mainland. It is thought that Sesklo reached its peak around 5000 B.C. and at the time, the population is estimated to have reached up to 5000 people. Excavations reveal that this population thrived until the people of Dimini invaded. One interesting thing that has been uncovered in the archaeological site here are the many figurines that depict people, particularly pregnant women.
Dimini
Dimini is another settlement that began in Neolithic Greece and it, like Sesklo, was also located in Thessaly. Sesklo did come before Dimini but as Dimini increased in strength, they eventually invaded Sesklo. However, this invasion theory hasn’t been proven. It is also possible that the two settlements coexisted and that Sesklo wasn’t invaded.
Franchthi Cave
The Franchthi Cave is also thought to be one of the main Neolithic settlements in Greece. It is thought to have been occupied until 3000 B.C., which is at the tail end of the Neolithic period, which archaeologists estimate ended around that time. This cave has actually been occupied since the Paleolithic age, which came before the Neolithic period. It is located on the Peloponnese.
Athens
Athens is one of the oldest settlements in all of Greece and it was occupied much sooner than the Golden Age, which is when Athens was at its height. The oldest evidence of humans living here is in the Cave of Schist, which is estimated to have had people living here from the 11th Century B.C. to the 7th Century B.C. After that, the settlement of Athens really became more populated.
As you can see, Greece is one of the oldest civilizations in the world and it has been inhabited since even before the Neolithic era. However, during Neolithic times, many advancements were made.
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Categorized in: Ancient Greek History
This post was written by Greek Boston
