Palaeolithic–Neolithic seed remains at Franchthi Cave, Greece

Abstract

FRANCHTHI Cave is located in a limestone headland on the south-west coast of the southern Argolid, Greece. In excavations since 1967 (performed under the direction of Prof. Thomas W. Jacobsen, Indiana University) an almost continuous sequence from the Upper Palaeolithic ∼ 20,000, BC to the Final Neolithic, around 3000 BC, has been uncovered1. After six excavation seasons, eight trenches have been opened up inside the cave, as well as eight trenches outside the mouth of the cave and along the beach about 50 m below. Owing to the proximity of the deposits to the modern shore line and to the soil surface, no carbonised material has been recovered from these beach deposits. This is unfortunate because the earliest Neolithic on the site has been found in this area. Concentrated water sieving of the trenches inside the cave has recovered large quantities of carbonised botanical material. Most important among these remains has been the discovery of wild oats and wild barley in levels dated to about 10,000 BC, earlier than any botanical remains as yet found in Greece or the Aegean area.