Greek dig unearths undisturbed Neolithic household gear in a 6,000 year old rectangular farmhouse
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A handout photo given by the Greek Culture Ministry shows the remains of a rare Stone Age homestead left undisturbed for nearly 6,000 years. Archaeologists in northern Greece have found the remains of a Stone Age homestead left intact for about 6,000 years, the culture ministry said on Thursday.
(AFP/HO)Greek dig unearths Neolithic household gear
ATHENS, Greece – A 6,000 year-old set of household gear, including crockery and two wood-fired ovens, has been found in the buried ruins of a prehistoric farmhouse in northern Greece, officials said Thursday.
A Culture Ministry statement said the discovery "provides invaluable, unique information" on late Neolithic domestic architecture and household organization.
"This is a very rare case where the remains have stayed undisturbed by farming or other external intervention for about 6,000 years," the ministry statement said. "The household goods are in excellent condition."
The rectangular building, which covers some 624 square feet, was discovered during work to lay water pipes earlier this year at the village of Sosandra near Aridaia, some 360 miles north of Athens.
Archaeologists who excavated the site between March and July found a large number of clay vessels for cooking and eating, stone tools, mills for grinding cereals and two ovens.
The house was separated into three rooms. It had walls made of branches and reeds covered with clay, supported by strong wooden posts. The building was destroyed by fire, which baked the clay, preserving impressions of the wooden building elements, as well as the post holes.
Archaeologists believe the inhabitants managed to escape the fire, taking with them their valued stone blades and axes.
"They left behind the large stone tools which would have been difficult to move away," the ministry statement said.
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In this undated handout photo provided by the Greek Ministry of Culture on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2008 shows piles of 6,000 year-old housepottery among the ruins of a neolithic home excavated in northern Greece this year. A Ministry statement said the discovery 'provides invaluable, unique information' on late Neolithic domestic architecture and household organization. The rectangular house, which covers some 624 square feet (58 square meters), was unearthed during work to lay water pipes earlier this year at the village of Sosandra near Aridaia, some 360 miles (580 kilometers) north of Athens.
(AP Photo/Greek Culture Ministry)
In this undated handout photo provided by the Greek Ministry of Culture on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2008 shows the outline of a rectangular farmhouse dating 6,000 years back that was excavated in northern Greece this year. The holes for wooden posts that supported the structure are visible among the ruins. Archaeologists found most of the household goods used by the building's Neolithic residents, in a good state of preservation. A Ministry statement said the discovery 'provides invaluable, unique information' on late Neolithic domestic architecture and household organization. The house, which covers some 624 square feet (58 square meters), was unearthed during work to lay water pipes earlier this year at the village of Sosandra near Aridaia, some 360 miles (580 kilometers) north of Athens.
(AP Photo/Greek Culture Ministry)
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