Pallini - 2001

Pallini. Giorgos Steihauer (Emeritus Ephor of Antiquities) reports the following:

During construction works for the Attiki Odos, between 1999 and 2001, an extensive Neolithic settlement was discovered at the site of Pallini. The settlement was located to the NW of the Levidi hill, ca. 1 km south of Marathon Avenue. The investigated part of the settlement (ca. 1.3 hectare) was bisected E-W by a natural ditch formed by the activity of a nearby torrent. The northern sector seems to have had two phases of occupation; the first is represented by ca. 20 circular and oval huts, and 3-4 rectangular ones, with well-preserved post-holes; the second phase is represented by 10 free-standing rectangular buildings with stone foundations (and probably mudbrick walls), several of which had two small rectangular rooms appended to their entrance (pos- sibly used as storage spaces). The southern sector seems to have been chronologically later. Its buildings were arranged around an open space probably of public character (piazza). Μost of them (e.g. M, Ξ, Ο) were small rectangular structures (ca. 3x4m) with stone foundations and an internal partition wall. Building ΣΤ was also rectangular, but much larger (4.60x6.00m). Building Z was also large but of a roughly rectangular plan (5.50x5.50m). Unfortunately, it was not possible to identify the function of these larger buildings. Architectural and stratigraphic observations suggest three phases: (I) huts with post-holes (north sector); (II) rectangular structures of the Tsangli type with stone foundations (north sector); (III) rectangular buildings with internal parti- tion wall (south sector). The pottery from the settlement is still under study, but it covers the period between the later part of the Early Neolithic and the earlier part of the Middle Neolithic.