)ß. lnteroaýonales §ymposium θ ber das Spδ tneolithikum Xanthi 4-10 Oktober 9Ι 8Ι NEOLI THI C I NVESTI GATI ONS ΝΙ MACEDONI A und die Bronze,zeit EASTERN üγ Dimiirios Grammθ no§ ιΙ has ofien been empha§isθ d that excavations and surfice reconnaisance studies σ f prehisioric sites ßη Macedonia have been very limited. Almosi η ο lπ ork has been done ßη Neolithic Central Macedonia since Heurtley. One exception is French's very useful suryey vrhich is mainly concerned, hovrever, vrith the identification of previously knourn sites. [ η Western Macedonia, Nea Nikomedia and Seryia ,$iere excavated by ihθ British School of Archaeology. I η Thrace α re-examinaiion of the stratigraphy of ihe very imporiant site of Paradimi, done some yθ ars ago, $I as very recently published by G. Bakalakis. Α catalogue of prehistorio sites $ras compo§ed by D. Theocharis ßη α first attempt to discuss the prehistoric period of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace. ηΙ Eastern Maoedonia systematic excayaiions were oonducted by Desharecenily ßη DikiliTash and Siiagri ßη the Philippi-Drama ñΙα ßη ε χ òα ν α is being currenily Dimiira ß η the basin yes and Renfrevr. Serres jointly by D. ted by the Greek Arohaeological Service and direcied Grammenos, Κ . Koisakis and Μ . Foiiades. Α small trial irench vras opened by Holberg and ihe Slvedish School of Archeology ßη Para, deisos ßη the lovrer Nestos basin. The final publioation of ihe resulis of these excayations vrill be extremely helpful, partioularly sinoe the excavaied sites lie ßη ihree different plains of the region vrhich are geo, graphically isolated one from the oiher and possibly enjoyed environmenta] autonomy. Surfaoe reconnaisance siudies ßη Eastern Macedonia harre led to the foilouring conclusionsl. l. D. Grammenos, Proisioriki ikismi tis Anatolikis Makedoniω , Thrakika I nternational Thrakological ConChronika lθ S0 ñ. θ 5f. (paper deliyered ßη the Ι gress ßη Yienna, June 9 Ι 80. Translation of the German original), with α Ι relevant ιeferences, α map ιvith ihe prehisioric sites and caialogues of characteristic pottery lrom each site. SYMP0SI A THRACI CA, 1982, λ ,, 168-172 { 69 of α tο tα Ι of 72 prehiis, ßη caves). That known the few (inoιuding storic sites knoyrn ioday seem Ν eο ιß thß ò traces 25 ο υ ß of ihe 41 sites vriih 5º ο / ο ο Ι the siies. ο η ιγ is 61ο / ο , This period is repre_ λ gò, ßhα τ Early Β τ ο η Ζ ò ßητο τ h e τ ο òο η τ ßηυe founded. The decrease of 7 newly and is 25 old that ß η sites, 32 sented seem τ ο α whole does η ο τ as the area sites wiihin Age the Early Bronze peroeniages ßη the ß η similar be fortuitous, because ßt is also observed more intensively surveyed Serres basin. I t is significani ihai ihe number of sites coniinued ßο shrink ßη the Late Bιonze Age, contrary tο yrhat was happening ßη the rest of the Aegean. The Neolithic period is represented by 4t ο υ t t. ayerage neo] ithic setilement ylas α ß the beginning (α ññτ ο Χ ßmα τ eιγ 1.25 acres). 5 òτ τ emmα τ α η ο ß more τ h α η esτ imaied τ ο I ndeed, many setilemenis ßη Easi and Ceniral Macedonia do η ο t exoeed ihis size. There are, however, some òonsiderably larger settlements and 60 siremthree ryhich are incredibιy huge: ihe toumba of Serres, η eα γ τ ι §trθ mmaia (15 acres), the Toumba of Drama, approximateιy 150 mα tα near SaιOnika whioh has 303 Siremmaia (37.5 acres) and ihat of ν α òßιßκα (º 5.75 acres) (1 Strθ mma equaιs 1.000 meters). I nvestigations ßη ihe last twο toumbas were amplified with small trials that were dug α t their ouier limiis. I ß is vrorih meniioning that α t Vasilika ihe cultural debris was more ihan 3.5 m. deep at this point. 2. The size of α η seitιements ßη East and Centraι Macedonia are Ν eο ιßthßò near τ h e coasi or τ oumbes (iells). Very fevr appear ßο had been οΙ òα τ ed sites at ιeasi ioday haye α spring nearby, With the next tο α riyer. Α ιι excepiion of one or two, ihey are located ßη plains or ο η loqr fooihills 3. Α ιι then offers α catohment area with that surround the plains. Their οΙ òα tßοη ryhich Oorresponds rviih Higgs,s idea] ki] ometer radius α Π rore than 5 oiroular territory and is very appropriaie for α basioally staiic economy. 4. Poiiery of the earliest Neolithio phase of ihe Balkans (Kara, iime ßη α η Easiern Maoedonia siie (Toumba of Serres). The poiiery, with white decoration ο η α red tο ñßηΚ background, τ η ,α s found during Μ . Fotiades invesiigaiions. The iell of Dimiira is locaied approximaiely 40 km SE of Serres. yras limiied for lack of finanoial and speThe extent of ihe ε χ ο α γ α ßßοη cialised rθ sourcθ s ihai α big prehistorio excayation demands today. Consequently, ßß lvas η ο ß possible ßο investigaie the building phases and oomplexes of ihe setilemeni. The purpose of ihe exoavation rryas tο invesiigate ßη α deiailed fashion the local enyironment. Α further aim leye] yriih λ { . was ßο relaie ihe resulis of our resesrch ο η the οΙ òα Ι η ο νο )Ι rryas found for the first 170 Foiiades's regionaΙ siudy ο η «Prehistoric Human Ε ο ο οΙ gγ of the Serres Basin». The limited size of ihe excayaijon ryas compensated by α η almost of ihe excayated material ßη the iyro 4 χ 4 m. tιenches. òο e Ι òtßοη ßοtα Ι This α ιγ s achieyed by the use of α dry sieve for one trench and α 100/ ο of water sieye for the other. As α resuιt we beιieve that η eα γ τ ι as the as well collecied lyere objeois small the pottery, flinis and other faunal and ñΙα η ß remains and the shells. Α peirological siudy of the potiery and studies of the plant and bone remains from ihe 1978 Season ha\ re been compιeied so far by Briiish archaeologists. Flinis and shells from ihree §easons of exoayation and Mrs. Κ α τ α ιß-Gßαηη α ha\ re been studied by Mrs, Kouriesi_Fiιippakis have ihe resuιis of ihe C14 kopouιos. We hope that very SOon we ν τ ßιι analysis. justified. We beιieye that we aohieyed The use of sieving was gτ eα tιγ α 30-40Ο / ο increase ßη the amount of colleoied material. For ihe small finds pariiculary, ihe increase lvas about 70Ο / ο , since most of ihem lπ ere astonishing ihat 750 small beads vrith diameter of 0.003 m. tΙ is α ο tυ α γΙ objecis were colleoied from 32 m3 of fill. I t really makes one ihink aboui ihe exoayaiing methods we harre been using so far ßη prehisioric sites, ß Ι has been demonstrated elsewhere that elren ßη large siies ßßis exiremely useful ßο sieve α ß least α sample of ihe excarraied earih ßη order tο come υ ñ lvith quaniiiative results ihat could haire some validity. excayation ηΙ summary, the provisionaι ooncιusions from ihis òmα ιΙ are the following: 1. The Middle α η d Late l{ eoliihic are the main periods of the site. There are α few Early Bronze Age sherds and iraces of what seems of the siie ßη the Laie Bronze Age, Α to haye been α brief ο ο òυ ñα tßοη thick (1,40 m) Laie NeoΙithio wall was reused byihe inhabitanis of this phase. 2. The fßtι has η ο ß yei been excayated tο rook, which means ihat there is α good chance we may find Early Neoliihic straia as vrell. Ι is oertain, hovrever, that the 3. Ν ο single building was found. ß l\ eolithic houses vrere buili wiih dried, reciangular mud-brioks ο η §tο η e foundaiions. 4. The quality of the poitery is excepiional. There are 28 catecoarse wθ mean η ο ß slipped, or gories of coarse and fine wares. Β γ The slipped and burnished ,,vare is fine sΙipped bui η ο t burnished rvare. and also inclu,des the inoised ware ryith ν ιhßte lime-fi] l ßη ihe inoisions. 1º Ι ΑΙ decorated potiery is also fine and is diyided into some 15 different cream lffarθ caiegories ryiih small or large scale decoration. Brorvn ο η ο η red the second iype, while black vrare of of ihe first has decoration tγ ñε . The thin walls sometimes 0.00{ m near the rim the small scale decoraiion and the black-burnished slip of ihe pottery from Dimitra seem really excepiional when compared α ß least rvith the surface pottery found ο η oiher East and Central Maoedonian sites. The quality of the firing and the purity of ihe clay-particulary ßη the decorated yrares - are has η ο distinguishýle inclusions, also impressive. Quite often ihe òΙα γ η ο ß eyen mßòα . Contrary to what one expeots, there \ l/ as yery litile Olynthos style among the decoraied poiiery. The situaiion is different rryith the DikiliTash style. There vras also very litle graphiie painied and black-topped ryare. although the latier was common ßη other Maoedonian siies. The pottery vrhich has been vreighed and measured according to excavaiion - units α η d phases was found ßη considerablε quantity. Among the rest of the finds there are α feyr figurines which indicate the exisience of α η important tradiiion ßη this crafi, One human figurine differs considerably from the groiesque figurines from Dikili-Tash ßη showing yθ ry pθ rsonalised features thai bring it very close ßο α portrait. Gold appeared ,pvith the beginning of Late Neolithic if not earlier. Α tiny bead and α golden hook ryere found. Copper ιrras used by Middle Neoliihic. There are several tube-like beads 0.002 m long. Ν ο analysis of oopper has been done so far. Beads of α similar shape but slightly larger, α few button shaped and α fevrbeads of oihertypes were made of shell-spondylus and dentalium _., bone and more rarely, stone. They are quite numerous. I η faci, more than half of α Ι the small objeots are beads. Stone and bone implements are yery feyr and are mainly celts and points. The flint impleobsidian. Α ments belong tο the usual Neoliihic yarieiies. There is η ο liiile quariz is found locally. The rest of the flint objects are of very fine quality and ßß does η ο ß seem likely ihai ihey oome from α nearby source. There were fewer sheep and goats ihan one vrould expeci ßη α Late Neolithio siie, α ß least according ßο the tθ 78 report. Actually their number is η ο ß much different from that of game animals such as deer and boar. There are traces of domesticated pig, dog and hare as vrell as of some oaiile. There are ο η γΙ α fevr birds but α large amount of fish remains. Mosi of the fish vrere probably fished ßη ihe nearby Angiiis riyer and were probably grivadia and goulianoi, fresh waier fish that are still ι ι 1º 2 yery òο π τ m ο η of almosi ßOOΟ / ο of ßη Macθ donian riyers. The òο εΙ ο ßßοη the fish remains brings out again ihe significance of sieving. So far ihe of òο mñα τ ý εΙ data from Dimitra gxnnoi be evaluated properly for αΙ ο κ material from oiher sites. remains were collecied wiih the water sieye and consequenily ÑΙα η t The study of the θΙ 78 material has shoτ , n come from one trenoh ο η γΙ . iriticum, cerθ al, ν ßòßα lethetu§, lens, yitis silvesiris, weed seeds, pistaohio, oalium. We hope that π ,hen ihe excavaiion and the study of the finds are completed wΘ §hall harre α beýter idea of ihe enyironment of neoΠ thic man and the process of cultural adaptation ßη Eastern Macedonia.