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Petrota, Thrace : a prehistoric quarry of siliceous stone

• Φωτιάδης, Μιχάλης
• Παπαγιάννη, Δήμητρα
• Ευστρατίου, Νίκος

Petrota is a complex surficial site, the effect of many distinct episodes of human use spread over tens of thousands of years. Its chief feature is a tower-like mass of volcanic cryptocrystalline rock («Vrahos silex») suitable for the manufacture of stone tools. The exploitation of Vrahos silex for tools in prehistory, but also the weathering of the rock and human activities in the Historical era have resulted in a dense lithic scatter that today occupies an area ca. 1 km2 around the tower-like feature. Our research to date has established the presence in this scatter of (a) a rich Middle Palaeolithic component, represented by discoidal and Levallois cores and their products, a variety of side scrapers, notched and denticulate pieces, and occasional bifacial leaf points; and (b) a Neolithic component, represented by cores for pressure blades and a few such blades, but without pottery or other Neolithic artifacts. Other prehistoric periods, including the early Upper Palaeolithic, are possibly represented in our sample. Subsequent episodes of use of the site date to the Historical era and are mostly unrelated to the exploitation of silex for tools. Those episodes have, however, affected the distribution and condition of the products of the prehistoric reduction sequences, and have also created many tool-look-alikes, thus forcing us to be extremely cautious in treating individual pieces as prehistoric. Most of our work to date has focused on mapping the distribution of the surface material and trying to identify areas that may not have been severely affected by post-depositional processes. The results are encouraging.

• History and Archaeology

• Ανασκαφές (Αρχαιολογία)

προϊστορία , Θράκη

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