PLAKIAS MESOLITHIC SURVEY - 2008

Plakias Mesolithic Survey. T. Strasser (ASCSA/Providence), P. Murray (ASCSA/Boston), E. Panagopoulou (EPSNE), C. Runnels (ASCSA/Boston) and N. Thompson (EPSNE) report on a survey which focused on finding pre-Neo remains on Crete.

The Plakias and Ag. Pavlos coastal areas in the nomos of Rethymnon were selected because they have environmental characteristics that closely approximate the preferred site locations of Mes foragers as demonstrated by discoveries in Epirus, the Argolid, the Sporades, the Cyclades and Cyprus. Numerous gorges cut S to the Libyan Sea, with perennial streams that would have created extensive wetlands in the E Holocene as the sea level rose. In addition, many local fault scarps have caves and rock-shelters, usually associated with springs, suitable for habitation.
Survey focused on limestone caves near freshwater estuaries in regions where the present shoreline is near the E Holocene sea level. Fieldwork targeted paleosols where Pleistocene and E Holocene remains are likely to be preserved. Using these criteria, 18 lithic scatters were found and a sample of 1,764 stone artefacts collected. Small artefacts of Mes type were found at all but 3 of the sites, and large tools of Pal type were found at 4 sites.
The project found Mes sites in coastal regions where freshwater streams and rivers entered the Libyan Sea (i.e. the Damnoni, Ammoudi, Schinaria, Preveli and Ag. Pavlos regions). The Plakias Mes surface remains are similar to assemblages from Franchthi cave, Klisoura cave 1, Sidari, Kandia and Maroulas. The assemblages primarily consist of microlithic (ca. 0.01−0.04m) flakes struck from small pebbles of quartz and chert by direct percussion (Fig. 1). Flakes of different sizes were then retouched, often on multiple edges. Retouch, uniformly small and discontinuous, is seen also on the cores and on debitage of all sizes and shapes, suggesting somewhat expedient use of raw materials. Differences among the assemblages may have chronological or functional significance. Chert artefacts were more plentiful at the sites around Damoni, Ammoudi and Ag. Pavlos, and quartz was the preferred raw material at the sites from Schinaria and Preveli. The lithic scatters appear to represent temporary or seasonal campsites. Only at Damnoni 3 was evidence observed for possible activities other than flaked stone production and use:2 or 3 possible circular stone features were located on a low shelf directly below the mouth of the cave.

Three to 4 sites believed to date to the Lower Pal were identified in locations similar to the Mes sites, to facilitate hunting strategies incorporating access to fresh water and outcrops of raw material. The S-facing cliffs of the Preveli gorge had 2 to 3 sites. Two scatters are close together and after further analysis may be combined. Another site was found on the E side of the Kotsiphos gorge in an area that remains to be thoroughly investigated.
The Pal assemblages employ mostly dull, opaque and blocky quartz, often poorer in quality than that used in Mes times, which is translucent, lustrous and fine-grained. Use of other materials is suggested by a quartzite biface fragment from Preveli 2. The Pal industry is distinguishable from the Mes by the larger size of the cores, debitage, flakes and tools, which are typically 0.08m to more than 0.15m l. (Fig. 2). There are also technological differences: cores are typically unidirectional, bifacial or flat with centripetal flaking. Flakes were the desired end products of the reduction strategy, averaging about 0.08m in size and very thick (typically 0.035−0.045m) with broad and sometimes dihedral platforms up to 0.03−0.04m w. The retouched tool types are distinctive and include bifaces, hand-axes, cleavers, side scrapers, double converging denticulates, pointed flakes, truncations, denticulates, burins and Clactonian notches on flakes.
There was good reason to believe that Mes material would be found on Crete, since sites have been discovered on Kythnos, Youra, Alonnissos and Cyprus. The Lower Pal Acheulean tools are surprising, though lithics of all phases of the Pal have recently been reported from Gavdos. Since Crete has been an island since the Messinian Event almost 6 million years ago, early hominids had to use a sea-craft to reach Crete. This pushes back the evidence for early sea-faring in the Mediterranean to at least 250,000 years ago, and possibly much earlier.