REVENIA-KORINOS: ONE OF THE EARLIEST NEOLITHIC SETTLEMENTS IN NORTH GREECE AS EVIDENCED BY RADIOCARBON DATING

Yannis Maniatis,Fotini Adaktylou

doi:10.1017/rdc.2021.26

Abstract

ABSTRACTRadiocarbon (14C) dating was applied to the Neolithic open-air, flat-extended settlement at Revenia-Korinos in Pieria, North Greece. The samples came from the earlier habitation period of the settlement, characterized by more than 100 pits that vary significantly in shape and dimensions, some of them being identified as subterranean or semi-subterranean pit dwellings. It is suggested that the fills of the pits were the result of secondary, structured refuse deposition, except for pits that preserve their habitational use, according to stratigraphic data. The 14C results confirm that Revenia is among the earliest Neolithic settlements in North Greece and the Aegean in general. The initial phase of habitation is dated at around 6600/6550 BC comparable only to two other EN sites in North Greece. Habitation intensified at around 6460/6430 BC, accompanied by a shift in pottery style. This phase lasts until 6200/6100 BC when the pit habitation mode is followed by above-ground, rectangular post-framed structures. The dates of the human burials from Revenia also identify them as among the earliest Neolithic burials in Greece. Finally, the radiocarbon dates proved very useful for sequencing the chronological use of the pits and the excavated area in general.

Highlights

The Early Neolithic settlement of Revenia-Korinos is situated in lowland Pieria in northern Greece at Lat. 40°19 029.88 00N and Long. 22°33 055.96 00E, about 31 m above present-day sea level, northwest of the modern village of Korinos and about 5 km from the current shoreline (Figure 1)
This study involved a systematic radiocarbon dating of Early Neolithic Revenia-Korinos, an open-air, flat-extended settlement in lowland Pieria, North Greece, 5 km from the present shoreline, a fertile estuarine location at the time
The results show that Revenia is one of the earliest Early Neolithic settlements in North Greece and the Aegean in general

Summary

Introduction

The Early Neolithic settlement of Revenia-Korinos is situated in lowland Pieria in northern Greece at Lat. 40°19 029.88 00N and Long. 22°33 055.96 00E (center of the excavated area), about 31 m above present-day sea level, northwest of the modern village of Korinos and about 5 km from the current shoreline (Figure 1). The Early Neolithic settlement of Revenia-Korinos is situated in lowland Pieria in northern Greece at Lat. 40°19 029.88 00N and Long. The aim of this study is to perform a systematic radiocarbon dating of the site, in order to determine, in absolute time, the beginning of settling of the first farmers in the area and their subsequent phases of occupation. The aim is to compare the dates with other Early Neolithic sites in North Greece, an area where some of the earliest settlements of farmers/stock-breeders in Europe were established. The Neolithic settlement of Revenia belongs to the open-air, flat-extended type of sites excavated during the last 25 years that fill a gap in research into the earlier phases of the Neolithic in Macedonia (Andreou et al 2001; Kotsakis 2001, 2003, 2005; Kotsos and Urem-Kotsou 2006; Kotsakis 2014). There are two different habitation modes at Revenia: subterranean pit dwellings and above-ground, rectangular post-framed structures

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