Agriculture, Techniques and Neolithic Expansion: Back in Greece! Neo-Innova project studying early farmers in Crete and Boeotia

This is the blog of the project "Neo-Innova: The diffusion of Neolithic in the Central-Western Mediterranean: agriculture, technological innovations and radiocarbon dating" (HAR2016-75201-P). This research project focuses on one of the main turning points of human history: the diffusion of Neolithic. Even if it is well established that the Near East was the first focus of the invention of farming, around X-IX milenium BC, the mechanisms and the paths of its spreading in the rest of the Mediterranean are yet to be unfolded. During the last decades, the origin of European Neolithic has been explained as result of a diffusion process through two main axes: a Northern one, crossing central Europe, and a Southern one along the Mediterranean coasts. The current project is aimed to analyse the process of Neolithic diffusion through the Central-Western Mediterranean through analysis of the techniques and tools associated with the crop-harvesting and -processing tools. Analysis of those tools has to be supported by an extensive program of radiocarbon dating and a cross-analysis of the crop-harvesting/14C with the information proceeding from the environmental/ecological, the technological and the cereals consumed.

Wednesday 25 October 2017

Back in Greece! Neo-Innova project studying early farmers in Crete and Boeotia

Within the frame of the Neo-Innova project we have been back in Greece, working on the flaked stone tool assemblages from Knossos in Crete and Sarakenos cave in Boeotia. Results have been exciting and new data on harvesting technology diffusion and evolution have been gathered. The picture is getting clearer!

We would like to thank all the people that made this study possible, for their kindness and support: Valasia Isaakidou, Amy Boogard, Paul Halstead, Maria Ntinou, James Conolly, Paul Halstad, Christina Tsorakis, Adamantios Sampson, Tonia Tsourouni, ... and many others.