Agios Petros [antikvár]

1. INTRODUCTION: Despite the progress of archaeological research in Greece during the post-war period certain geographical regions remained largely unexplored as far as the prehistoric sequence is concerned. That still is the case for most of the Aegean Islands, which are of particular importance because they link mainland Greece with western Asia Minor, where also the neolithic period is only fragmentarily known. Although recent investigations in Euboea (Sampson, 1981), Cyclades (Cherry and Torrence, 1982: 24) and Rhodes (Sampson, 1979: 43) together with old trial excavations in other Aegean islands such as Skyros (Theochares, 1959B: 279) and Chios (Hood, 1981) offer a fair amount of information about the neolithic occupation in this part of Greece, we are still heavily dependent on surface surveys, unstratified and mixed material. Nothing similar to the Sesklo culture of the mainland with its fine painted pottery and comprehensive range of neolithic material, or to the impressive cultures of Anatolia - Hacilar, Catal Hiiyiik - had so far been found. Geological reasons and environmental conditions have played an important role in our present state of knowledge about the Aegean islands. The rise of the sea level, despite the controversy about it is recognized as the main reason for the submersion of many of the early and middle neolithic coastal and island settlements. The weathering conditions, the effect of the sea and the considerable erosion reduced the material deposits and affected the degree of preservation of the few sites which still exist. In addition, because of the seismogenic nature of the Aegean, especially the north part of it, geological changes resulted in a more or less dramatic alteration of the landscape, a process which is still in progress today. The lack of neolithic settlements on the islands of the Aegean has now been partially filled by the exploration of the northern Sporades, the group of islands just off the Thessalian coast, and especially by the excavations of Theochares (1969-71) (1970: 271) and myself (1981) on the islet of Agios Petros in the bay of the island of Kyra-Panagia, the ancient Halonnesos. During these years the remains of a distinctive neolithic culture were revealed. It is characterized by a painted pottery tradition - red on cream - rich figurine material and architectural remains. The main cultural phases of the settlement seem to correspond with the early and middle neolithic period of mainland Greece - Sesklo and central Greece - while other cultural traits point to the late neolithic and early chalcolithic period of Anatolia. The material shows a concentration of cultural features from different geographical regions, something which is remarkable considering the apparently isolated position of the island in the Aegean sea. This is an aspect of the "Agios Petros culture" which will attract our special attention in the course of the material sjmthesis. The finds from the site of Agios Petros cover many aspects of the life of the settlement. A detailed description of the site, the development of the excavation and the stratification evidence will be given in sections 2 and 3, while the archaeological finds will be dealt with in the fourth section. The synthesis of the material as a whole will constitute the fifth section. Sections 6 and 7 will Include a