Based on new archaeological data gained by excavations at Çukuriçi Höyük and surveys at neighboring Arvalya Höyük (both near Ephesos/Turkey), a model of early farming villages will be discussed in the context with other Neolithic sites known in the region. For the first time a new cultural cluster (Neolithic Group of Central Aegean Coast) can be defined for 7th millennium BC in this particular area. Due to various investigations at the Aegean coast of Turkey during the last decade, it is possible to provide a more detailed picture that allow to analyze different networks of the initial stages of the Neolithic period and the following centuries.
The patterns of subsistence strategies, exchange systems, technologies, material assemblages and architectural systems of these neighboring Pottery Neolithic sites form an entity that can be compared with other Aegean zones, like Thessaly, Crete or Macedonia and Thrace.
The main focus will lie on the different dynamics, scales and intensities of the Aegean-Anatolian interactions within this group. These complex on- and offshore interactions will be displayed and therefore highlight the role of the Aegean in general and the coastal zone of Western Turkey in particular.
Communities, Landscapes, and Interaction in Neolithic Greece
International conference 29-30 May 2015
