Platia Magoula Zarkou in Thessaly/Greece: Cultural Change during the 6th Millennium BC

Platia Magoula Zarkou is a Neolithic and Bronze Age tell settlement in the western Thessalian plain, 30 km west of Larissa. The site was excavated between 1976 and 1990 after the discovery of a Late Neolithic cremation burial cemetery nearby. The excavation on the tell comprised a stratigraphical trench with four major habitational horizons dating from the late Early Neolithic (ca. 6000 BCE), Middle Neolithic and Late Neolithic phases (until the first, Tsangli-Larissa, sub-period) to the Bronze Age. The results were presented in preliminary reports, detailing the pottery sequence, specific pottery wares, faunal and archaeobotanical remains, chipped stone tools, as well as a unique house model. Concerning pottery sequence, the stratigraphic co-existence of pottery originally dated to the first (Tsangli) and the last (Larissa) Late Neolithic subphases decisively changed our understanding of Neolithic chronology. Studies on pottery styles and technology indicated a transition in decoration techniques from the Middle to Late Neolithic periods. Moreover, these studies pointed to the existence of early specialisation in pottery production in the area of Platia Magoula Zarkou. However, a comprehensive and holistic study of this tell settlement, giving an authentic picture of cultural change during these most prosperous periods of early farming culture in the Thessalian plain, is still lacking. Therefore, this project aims at the final publication of the site, focusing on the study of the stratigraphy and finds with regard to the changes observed from the Early to Late Neolithic, and in particular the transition from the Middle to Late Neolithic. The systematic recording of pottery, including macroscopic fabric analysis, will produce the first stratified sequence for western Thessaly, not only defining this region as a distinctive cultural area but also showing continuities and changes in pottery shapes and wares. Petrographic and chemical analyses aim to examine the pottery production organisation diachronically from the Early Neolithic until the abandonment of the settlement in the beginning of the Late Neolithic. An experimental archaeology project will be dedicated to the reconstruction of the chane opératoire for the specialized production of Grey ware. The 600 tools, including chipped and ground stone, bone and clay tools will be important to our understanding of the use of space and the kind of activities taking place on site. For the chipped stone industry the predominance of local chocolate flint and the low frequency of obsidian will enhance discussion on raw material procurement and exchange networks in Thessaly. A contextual analysis of the stratified figurines will increase our understanding of this group of finds which consists largely of unstratified stray finds.

Platia Magoula Zarkou (PMZ), a tell settlement in the western Thessalian plain, in close proximity to the Penios River and in a nodal position linking the Western and Eastern Thessalian plains, was investigated by stratigraphic excavation between 1976 and 1990 (excavator: K. Gallis). Since the Neolithic levels of the site had only been presented in preliminary studies, this project reconsidered the most important research questions related to the material which were a revision of the chronological scheme for the Late Neolithic (LN), a better understanding of the transition from the Middle Neolithic (MN) to the LN period, and research questions related to the habitation of the site. Geological investigations showed that during the Neolithic this area of the Peniada Valley was characterized by lacustrine-to-marshy conditions and PMZ was in a coastal setting of a narrow gulf. Geophysical prospection showed that enclosure walls encircled the tell, acting as counter measures against flooding episodes. 13 radiocarbon dates on short- lived samples demonstrate that the consecutive building phases had an average life-time of about 18 years, dating the MN use between 5880 and 5600. The earliest architectural feature is a ditch. The houses situated above the ditch were partly rebuilt vertically one on top of the other, but alternation of built and open/semi-open areas or yards was also attested. The detailed study and recording of the pottery constitutes the first systematic and comprehensive publication of a stratified ceramic assemblage in Western Thessaly. Six ceramic horizons situate the stratigraphic phases and their associated finds in the relative chronological sequence. Gradual changes in ceramic technology and decorative styles usually attributed to the LN were already observed during the MN period. The chane opératoire of the grey on grey ware was experimentally fired in specially constructed kilns. Archaeometric analyses place PMZ in the centre of a very active pottery exchange network with special emphasis on the production and circulation of grey on grey ware. The far most abundant raw materials of chipped stone tools are radiolarites, deriving from the Pindos range and collected as pebbles in the Portaikos river, and demonstrates that PMZ belonged to the Western Thessalian acquisition network. Figurines were analyzed following the architectural phases allowing diachronic and spatial consideration of manufacturing and typological characteristics. Several figurines have parallels exclusively known from Western Thessaly pointing to their distribution over a regional network. The deposition of the open house model and its figurines represents a buried household symbolically marking the end of the life cycle of a house. The décor shows that nearly all figurines were related to each other, however, the space used by the figurine groups inside the model emphasize differences in their importance within the household. The two groups represent a couple and a family, whilst the third group consists exclusively of female individuals related to household activities.