Sesklo

 village, neolithic age, pottery

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District of the Municipality of Aesonia
The site of Sesklo, near the modern city of Volos, Thessaly, was one of Europe’s earliest Neolithic settlements, dating potentially from as far back as the 7th millennium B.C.
The culture appears to have been agriculturally advanced, with evidence for the domestication of sheep, goats, cows, dogs, and pigs. Elaborately decorated red-on-white painted pottery, which was a hallmark of the time-period, has been unearthed at the site. Two-story houses make an early appearance in the area (ca. 6th millennium B.C.), along with strong evidence of conscious urban planning. The Sesklo site (as of current excavation) consists of an acropolis surrounded by a lower town covering an area of about 25 to 30 acres which may have housed up to three to four thousand inhabitants. Near the center of the acropolis is a two-room rectangular building which has been dubbed the “potter’s shop.” This “potter’s shop” suggests to many that this society had begun to evolve a more specialized division of labor. The culture was crucial to the expansion of Neolithic technology into Europe. Around 4600 B.C., the culture appears to have begun to diminish in importance and influence. Several hypotheses, including foreign invasion, attempt to explain this decline. It appears most likely that the Sesklo culture was assimilated into neighboring cultures. There has been no evidence found of Neolithic burials near the site, which seems to suggest either that burial was performed at a distance from the site, or that burial did not possess ritual significance.
(original edit by alien60)


Sources/Further Information
For brief overview/tourist information: www.culture.gr/2/21/211/21113a/e211ma02.html

For pictures of the site:
www.greeklandscapes.com/image-slides/sesklo/index.html

For in-depth information about Neolithic Greece and neighboring islands:
projectsx.dartmouth.edu/history/bronze_age/lessons/les/...

For information on Sesklo in relation to surrounding Neolithic cultures:
www.unige.ch/lettres/archeo/introduction_seminaire/neol...

www.perseus.tufts.edu/, search: Sesklo

For a quicktime™ virtual tour of the site:
www.stoa.org/metis/cgi-bin/qtvr
**very nice!!**