New Middle Paleolithic sites from the Mani peninsula, southern Greece 1 Tourloukis ,
2 Thompson ,
3 Garefalakis ,
Vangelis Nicholas Charalambos 4 4 1 Panagiotis Karkanas , Eleni Panagopoulou , Katerina Harvati
1) Paleoanthropology, Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology, Tübingen University 2) Prehistory and Early History, University of Erlangen 3) 2nd Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities, Greece 4) Ephorate of Palaeoanthropology-Speleology of Southern Greece Introduction Mani includes three important excavated Middle Paleolithic caves with human remains (Fig. 1): Kalamakia, which has produced the largest assemblage of Neanderthal fossil specimens in Greece (Harvati et al. 2013); Lakonis, where a Neanderthal tooth was found associated with an Initial Upper Paleolithic industry (Panagopoulou et al. 2002-2004; Harvati et al. 2003); and Apidima, with two early Neanderthal crania probably dating to around the end of the Middle Pleistocene (Harvati et al. 2011). Nevertheless, Mani has not been investigated by systematic, intensive surface surveys. Here we present preliminary results from a systematic survey (2012) and a test excavation (2013), conducted by the Department of Palaeoanthropology-Speleology of S. Greece (Ministry of Culture) in collaboration with researchers from Tübingen University (PaGE Project; Harvati and Tourloukis 2013). Our research has two main goals: 1) to identify new sites with stratified contexts that can be excavated and/or dated in order to establish a local chronostratigraphic framework; 2) to construct an inventory of caves and cave systems regardless of whether they preserve archaeological remains. Documenting the lack of evidence provides inferences on how geomorphological processes affected the preservation of sites and, hence, overall site distribution patterns (Tourloukis 2010).
Fig. 2. Kripia Cave 6: a typical example of a coastal cave documented during the 2012 survey
Results Forty-six caves, rockshelters and open-air sites were systematically surveyed and recorded. Middle Palaeolithic evidence was found in sixteen localities: twelve yielded stratified material, while four produced surface finds (Table 1). Stratified sites are located at elevations ≤ 50 m asl and usually less than 500 m. away from the coastline, if not directly at the coast (Fig. 2). The MIS 5e marine terrace occurs at 40 m asl (Kelletat and Gassert, 1975), indicating past submergence of caves situated below 40 m. Mavri Spilia (MS) is the cave that preserved the highest density of finds and was selected for test excavation (Fig. 3). Even though MS is located at 38 m asl and was probably inundated during MIS 5e, thick Pleistocene deposits have been preserved in the cave; yet, a major erosional phase has dissected the archaeological sequence leaving a hanging remnant high on the cave wall. It remains to be assessed which of these deposits post-date the MIS 5e and which predate the last interglacial. Artifact-bearing sediments dating to, or pre-dating, the last interglacial, will yield valuable information about early Mousterian lithic technologies, which are very rare in Greece. Highly-compacted layers rich in recrystallized ash, burned bones and lithic artifacts, with occasional charcoal fragments, are interpreted as combustion features or hearth remains. Tools are predominantly manufactured on flake blanks, and both the Levallois and discoidal techniques are present. The Levallois component is represented by Levallois laminar, centripetal, bipolar recurrent and preferential methods. Scrapers predominate in the class of retouched tools and include pieces with Quina retouch. At this initial stage of the research, the MS lithics fall well into the range of technological variability that characterizes the Levallois-Mousterian industries of Mani and show affinities with the material from Lakonis and Kalamakia (Fig. 4). Fig. 1. Map of the study-area showing the distribution of sites; inlets: map of Mani showing main localities discussed in text, and map of Greece. The Digital Elevation Model was produced with GRASS software using Copernicus data and information funded by the EU – EU-DEM layers (ETRS89-LAEA version)
Methodology The highest density of karstic features occurs along the coastline, while most of the known Paleolithic cave-sites are situated below 200 m asl. Therefore, we focused our research on the coastal zone below this elevation covering the area from Prosilio to the north of Kardamyli to the peninsula of Trachila in the south (Fig. 1). A total collection strategy was conducted for the surface finds inside and at the immediate vicinity of the sites. At open-air artifact scatters we tested systematic sampling with field walkers surveying along parallel transects to evaluate the depositional nature and density of finds. However, due to poor surface visibility and disturbance from agricultural activity, any patterning was found to be biased. Consequently, we conducted representative sampling of the surface material in relation to the available visibility. As a Site we designated 1) survey units with more than ten lithic artifacts, regardless of whether these were surface or stratified finds; 2) survey units with ≥ 10 lithic artifacts and faunal remains (e.g. 6 lithics and 4 bones), provided that they occurred in close spatial/stratigraphic association.
A handful of lithics that were brought to the site in finished form are made on a porphyritic andesite known as ‘lapis lacedaemonius’ (Fig. 4: #4 and 13). This raw material is also utilized at Kalamakia and Lakonis. The primary outcrops are located near the village of Krokees (Fig. 1), ca. 25 km from MS, measured ‘as the crow flies’. Yet, since MS is separated from the primary sources of this material by the Taygetos Mt., the crossing of the mountain doubles the distance (minimum ca. 50 km via modern asphalt roads crossing over the mountain), a relatively long distance by Middle Palaeolithic standards. At present, however, we cannot rule out the possibility of raw material provisioning from other nearby andesitic sources that are yet to be identified. Nevertheless, lithic specimens made on non-local rocks suggest possible links among the different regions of Mani and can provide information on raw material transfers and provisioning strategies, aspects directly related to mobility patterns.
Stratified Sites Surface Sites Survey Units with no finds Total
Caves 11 7
Rockshelters 1 4
Open-Air -4
Total 12 15
M. Pal. 12 4
16
2
1
19
--
34
7
5
46
16
Table 1. Mani survey results (2012). ‘M. Pal.’ indicates the number of sites that yielded Middle Palaeolithic material
Conclusions Our research in Mani has nearly doubled the number of known Neanderthal sites from the region and has confirmed that the peninsula has the strongest ‘Neanderthal signal’ identified to date in Greece. Site distribution patterns suggest preferences for coastal locations; yet, this assessment requires further evaluation of the combined effects of tectonic activity and sea-level changes. The presence of non-local raw materials, the high density of finds and the site’s location in the landscape altogether indicate that the cave of Mavri Spilia must have played an important role in the regional network of sites.
Fig. 3. Above: panoramic view of the site Mavri Spilia; Below: plan view and cross-section of the cave
Fig. 4. Middle Paleolithic artifacts from the excavation of the Mavri Spilia cave: 1: flake; 2: crested blade; 3: sidescraper; 4: retouched flake; 5, 6, 8: double sidescraper; 7, 9, 13: sidescraper; 10: flake; 11: convergent scraper; 12: canted sidescraper. 1-3, 6, 8, 10, 12: black flint; 4,13: green andesitic lava (lapis lacedaemonius); 5,11: gray flint; 7, 9: red radiolarite
References Panagopoulou, E., Karkanas, P., Kotjabopoulou, E., Tsartsidou, G., Harvati, K., and Ntinou, M. 2002-2004. Late Pleistocene archaeological and fossil human evidence from Lakonis cave, Southern Greece. Journal of Field Archeology 29: 323-49. Harvati K., Panagopoulou E., Karkanas P. 2003. First Neanderthal remains from Greece: The evidence from Lakonis. Journal of Human Evolution 45, 465-73. Harvati K., Stringer C., Karkanas P. 2011. Multivariate analysis and classification of the Apidima 2 cranium from Mani, Southern Greece. Journal of Human Evolution 60, 246-50. Harvati K., Tourloukis V. 2013. Human Evolution in the Southern Balkans. Evolutionary Anthropology 22, 43-5. Harvati K., Darlas A., Bailey S. E., Rein T. R., El Zaatari S., Fiorenza L, Kullmer O., Psathi E. 2013. New Neanderthal remains from Mani peninsula, S. Greece: The Kalamakia Middle Palaeolithic cave site. Journal of Human Evolution 64, 486-99. Kelletat, D., Gassert, D. 1975. Quartärmorphologische Untersuchungen im Küstenraum der Mani-Halbinsel, Peloponnes. Zeitschrift für Geomorphologie 22, 8-56. Tourloukis, V. 2010. The Early and Middle Pleistocene archaeological record of Greece: current status and future prospects. Archaeological Studies Leiden University 23, Leiden: Leiden University Press.
Acknowledgements: We are grateful to T. Chatzitheodorou, J. Bega, D. Giusti and to the ERC (STG Project no. 283503)
Unraveling the Neanderthal occupation of Mani is expected to illuminate important aspects of Middle Palaeolithic adaptations in one of the southernmost extremes of Europe.
Contact: Vangelis Tourloukis, Katerina Harvati, Paleoanthropology, Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Rümelinstr. 23, 72070 Tübingen, Germany
[email protected] [email protected]
