PALEORevue d'archéologie préhistorique

19 | 2007

Spécial table ronde (1ère partie) : Le Gravettien : entitésrégionales d'une paléoculture européenne, Les Eyzies,juillet 2004

Looking out for the Gravettian in GreeceUne approche du Gravettien en Grèce.

Eugenia Adam

Electronic versionURL: http://journals.openedition.org/paleo/579ISSN: 2101-0420

PublisherSAMRA

Printed versionDate of publication: 30 December 2007Number of pages: 145-158ISSN: 1145-3370

Electronic referenceEugenia Adam, « Looking out for the Gravettian in Greece », PALEO [Online], 19 | 2007, Online since 23April 2009, connection on 01 May 2019. URL : http://journals.openedition.org/paleo/579

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PALEO – N° 19 – DÉCEMBRE 2007 – Pages 145 à 158

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

G reece is an area of marked climatic and topographiccontrasts, with a large Pleistocene and Early Holocenere s e a rch potential but with a restricted and erratic re s e a rc hh i s t o ry. With the exception of few individual projects in thedecades leading to the 1960’s, re s e a rch was practically non-existent. The 1960’s, a decade that could be considered asthe golden era of Stone Age re s e a rch in Greece, resulted inthe formation of a corpus of open-air and rockshelter sitesre p resenting human activity during the Palaeolithic andsecondly the Mesolithic. The First International Congress onthe Palaeolithic of Greece and Adjacent areas in 1994 re c o r-ded and evaluated the state of re s e a rch at the time (Baileyet al. 1999). Several projects, initiated since, have brought tolight new sequences and sites with occupational evidencef rom the Paleolithic to the Mesolithic times.

N e v e rtheless, the re c o rd remains patchy. Many factorsmay be responsible, either individually or in combination,for this: climatic and environmental fluctuations leading todiscontinuity of occupation, tectonic and depositional acti-vity affecting the visibility of sites, emphasis on diff e re n te n v i ronmental niches at diff e rent times during thePleistocene, low population densities during part(s) of thePleistocene, to mention but a few.

The period during which the Gravettian - a “culture” cha-racterized by a remarkable unity in technology, re s o u rc eexploitation, site use and symbolic and artistic expre s s i o n(Gamble 1999 ; Otte 1981; Valoch 1996) - flourished inE u rope is by common consent taken to fall between 30and 20 kyr. Few sites in Greece provide sequences cor-responding to that period (see tabl. 1); three of these arelocated in nort h w e s t e rn Greece (Asprochaliko, Kastritsa,Grava), one in Thessaly (Theopetra) and one in thePeloponnese (Franchthi) (fig. 1). No other sites (exceptpossibly for Kephalari in central Greece, which re m a i n sre g retfully not fully published) can be included in the timeand type range of the present paper.

P R E S E N TATION AND DISCUSSION OF THE DATA

1 - Thessaly

Theopetra cave lies in a limestone formation (fig. 2) at analtitude of some 280 masl; the formation is situated on then o rt h - w e s t e rn edge of the Thessalian plain, and thus liesbetween the western edge of the plain and the foothills ofthe eastern Pindus Mountains that constitute the naturalb o rder between Thessaly and Epirus (Kyparissi-Apostolika2000). With the exception of some finds of Aurignacian

LOOKING OUT

FOR THE GRAVETTIAN IN GREECE

Eugenia ADAM (1)

A b s t r a c t : The number of sites and the chronostratigraphic re c o rd of the Upper Palaeolithic in Greece does not encourage major over-views. Still, aspects of regional diff e rentiation and temporal variation in the exploitation of re s o u rces can be addressed – if only in ap re l i m i n a ry manner – through the currently available data. The region of nort h w e s t e rn Greece offers an opportunity to investigate thecharacter of Gravettian cultural data in this part of the Balkan peninsula. Intensification of re s e a rch will no doubt enrich the corpus ofdata and support wider intra- and inter- regional comparisons.

K e y - Wo rd s: Balkans, Kastritsa, Grava, stone industries, organic artefacts, symbolic gear.

Résumé : Une approche du Gravettien en Grèce. Le nombre de sites et les données chrono-stratigraphiques relatifs au Paléolithique supé-rieur en Grèce n’encourage pas de vastes synthèses. Cependant, quelques particularités régionales et une variation diachronique dansl’exploitation des re s s o u rces peuvent être présentées –d’une façon très préliminaire- à partir des données actuellement disponibles.Le nord-ouest de la Grèce off re une opportunité d’analyser les particularités de la culture gravettienne dans cette partie de la pénin-sule balkanique. Il n’est pas douteux que le développement des re c h e rches enrichira cette base documentaire et permettra de plusl a rges comparaisons intra et inter- r é g i o n a l e s .

M o t s - c l é s : Balkans, Kastritsa, Grava, industries lithiques, outillages osseux, éléments symboliques.

(1) IB’ Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities, 6, 25th March Square, 45221 Ioannina, Greece. Address for corre s-

pondence: E. Adam, B.O. Box 1201, 45110 Ioannina, Greece. - eadam@otenet.gr

145

Le Gravettien : entités régionales d’une paléoculture européenne. Table ronde - Les Eyzies - juillet 2004

146

F i g u re 1 - Map of Gre e c e

indicating the location of

the principal sites mentio-

ned in the text.

F i g u re 1 - Carte de la

Grèce montrant la localisa-

tion des principaux sites

mentionnés dans le texte.

Table 1 - Radiocarbon

dates of the principal

sites discussed in the

t e x t .

Tableau 1 - Datations14 C des principaux

sites évoqués dans

le texte.

S I T E S T R ATIGRAPHIC D ATE B.P. S O U R C E

U N I T

A S P R O C H A L I K O Layer 10 2 6 , 1 0 0 ± 9 0 0 Bailey et al. 1983

K A S T R I T S A Layer 24 (stratum 9) 2 3 , 8 8 0 ± 1 0 0 Galanidou & Tzedakis 2001

Layer 21 (stratum 9) 2 1 , 8 0 0 ± 4 7 0 Bailey et al. 19832 0 , 2 0 0 ± 4 8 0 Bailey et al. 19832 3 , 8 4 0 ± 2 4 0 Galanidou & Tzedakis 2001

Layer 20 (stratum 7) 2 0 , 8 0 0 ± 8 1 0 Bailey et al. 1983

Layer 15 (stratum 5) 1 9 , 9 0 0 ± 3 7 0 Bailey et al. 19832 2 , 2 3 0 ± 2 1 0 Galanidou & Tzedakis 2001

Layer 14 (stratum 5) 2 0 , 5 9 0 ± 7 0 Galanidou & Tzedakis 2001

Layer 13 (stratum 5) 2 1 , 3 5 0 ± 8 0 Galanidou & Tzedakis 2001

Layer 12 (stratum 5) 2 0 , 0 0 0 ± 8 0 Galanidou & Tzedakis 2001

Layer 7 (stratum 3) 1 9 , 6 6 0 ± 1 6 0 Galanidou & Tzedakis 2001

Layer 5 (stratum 1) 1 9 , 3 6 0 ± 1 6 0 Galanidou & Tzedakis 2001

Layer 2 (stratum 1) 1 3 , 4 0 0 ± 2 1 0 Bailey et al. 19831 5 , 9 3 0 ± 1 3 0 Galanidou & Tzedakis 2001

T H E O P E T R A Unit/Episode II11 2 5 , 8 2 0 ± 2 7 0 Karkanas 20012 5 , 6 2 5 ± 5 0 0 Karkanas 2001

c h a r a c t e r, re p o rted in the 1960’s, Theopetra is so far theonly site providing information on the Upper Palaeolithicand Mesolithic in Thessaly, all subsequent surveys havingfailed to identify Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic indus-tries in the area (Runnels and van Andel 1999).

Excavations started in 1987 and have so far revealed a ca6.5 metre – thick sequence with occupational eventss t retching from the Middle Palaeolithic to the Neolithicand recent times. Deposits (layers II10-II12) of UpperPalaeolithic date (see table 1), although re p resented overa large part of the excavated area, pre s e rve very fews e c u rely classifiable artefacts (Adam 2000). The faunalmaterial, too, (mostly herbivores of all sizes) appears tohave undergone disturbances and intense destru c t i v ef o rces (Newton 1999). The sequence testifies to the exis-tence of a series of cold phases, interspersed by periodsof milder intervals (Karkanas 2001), such as the onere p resented by the extensive burning horizon dated at 25kyr that is of interest here. The cold phases documentedin the deposits may account for the non-availability of thesite during a considerable part of the Upper Palaeolithic.Occupation at the site was resumed after about 14 kyr.The depositional process in the cave was further compli-cated by large bodies of invasive waters which, after theLate Glacial Maximum, removed an appreciable amountof the Upper Palaeolithic deposits, creating large chan-nels and tunnels subsequently filled by later human acti-vity (Karkanas 2001).

A rtefact density at Theopetra is extremely low thro u g h o u tthe cultural sequence. The total of both Upper Palaeolithicand Mesolithic artefacts (from 15 excavation units analy-sed so far) amounts to the meagre number of 630.

The depositional re c o rd of the cave and the sample itselfsuggest we are faced with the remains of Upper

Palaeolithic industry/ies mixed with artefacts from the pre-ceding Middle Palaeolithic and the subsequent Mesolithicoccupational phases. The sample from the area of theextensive burning episode of 25 kyr, in part i c u l a r, is verypoorly re p resented. Apart from a few backed bladelets, nodiagnostic tool-types are present in this sample whose sizeis such that no meaningful comparisons can be made withindustries of the same age (i.e. Asprochaliko and Franchthiphases II, III, Temnata Cave). No organic artefacts arere p o rted from these layers either.

2 - The Peloponnese

Franchthi cave is situated in a limestone peninsula ofthe Hermionid region in eastern Peloponnese, very closeto the present sea-shore. Excavations conducted bet-ween 1967 and 1976 by T. W. Jacobsen and his teamrevealed a sequence of discrete occupational phasesranging from the Middle Palaeolithic to the Neolithic. Theexcavated deposits at Franchthi represent nearly 30.000years of prehistory, but over half of that time-span is inthe form of hiatuses. Amongst these, and of relevance tothe present paper, is an interval coinciding with the maxi-mum glacier expansion in central and northern Eurasia;the site was occupied more or less continuously after 15kyr (Farrand 2000).

During the first period of Upper Palaeolithic occupation( b e f o re the LGM) the use of the site was sporadic; the den-sity of the archaeological material is re p o rted to be extre-mely low (Perles 1999). The assemblages from “LithicPhases” (Perles 1987) II (dated to ca 23 kyr) and III (unda-ted) exhibit a preponderance of backed bladelets (re a c h i n g80% of the tool inventory) and a very low re p resentation ofend-scrapers, notches and laterally retouched pieces (at 5% each). Burins, bone tools and ornaments are not pre-sent at Franchthi (Perles 1999).

147

F i g u re 2 - General view of

the Theopetra form a t i o n

taken from the national

road to Trikala (photo: E.

A d a m ) .

F i g u re 2 - Vue générale de

la formation de Theopetra

prise de la route nationale

allant à Trekala (Photo E.

A d a m ) .

148

F i g u re 3 - General view of Asprochaliko taken fro m

the main Ioannina-Arta road (photo: E. Adam).

F i g u re 3 - Vue générale d’Asprochaliko prise de la

route Ioannina-Arta (Photo E. Adam).

F i g u re 4 - A s p rochaliko: west face of rectangles 41 and 42, and south face of rectangles 42 and 52 (after Bailey et al 1983, p.19).

F i g u re 4 - Asprochaliko: face ouest des rectangles 41 et 42 et face sud des rectangles 42 et 52 (d’après Bailey et al. 1983, p. 19).

Two projects under way in eastern Peloponnese have notyet yielded evidence of Gravettian character. Klissourag o rge (some 60 km west of Franchthi, see fig. 1) has beenthe focus of attention for the past decade and has suppliedevidence of Pleistocene and Holocene occupation atvarious rockshelter locations. It is interesting to note that awell defined Aurignacian sequence has been excavated inCave 1, dated to the period between 24-20 kyr and followedby an Epigravettian phase dated to after 14 kyr(Koumouzelis et al. 2004). On the other hand, Lakonis cave,on the eastern coast of the Mani peninsula (fig. 1), underexcavation since 1999, yielded a long cultural sequence pre-s e rving Middle Palaeolithic and Initial Upper Palaeolithicoccupation layers, radiometrically dated from ca 100 to 40kyr (Panagopoulou et al. 2004), but no later material.

3 - Northwest Gre e c e

The rockshelter of A s p ro c h a l i k o (fig.3) is situated on alimestone formation on the right bank of the Louros river;located at an altitude of 200 masl it oversees the Louro sv a l l e y. Excavations by the late E.S. Higgs and the late S.I.Dakaris between 1964 and 1966 established a sparinglydated sequence ranging from the Middle Palaeolithic tothe Upper Palaeolithic (Higgs and Vita Finzi 1966). Onlyp a rt of the site was excavated. The deposits are divided intwo major units: those inside and those outside the ro c k-shelter; the latter include both in situ and mixed deposits,and the cultural data retrieved from them cannot – with theexception of the Mousterian industry in layer 18 – “…bet reated with any confidence” (Bailey et al. 1983 p.24).Following that, we can only truly concentrate on the depo-sits inside the rockshelter (fig.4). This sequence ru n st h rough 5 m of deposits of stony clays and includes basalMousterian (dated to ca 100 kyr) followed by upperMousterian (originally named “micromousterian”) and final-ly by Upper Palaeolithic industries.

A single date of 26 kyr (layer 10) provides a m i n i m u m d a t efor these industries. Attempts to obtain further radiocarbondates from this part of the sequence were hindered by lackof collagen in the bones sampled for dating (Gowlett andC a rter 1997). A sterile layer (layer 13) running thro u g h o u tthe excavated area and located between the Middle andthe Upper Palaeolithic layers indicates a major hiatus in theoccupation of the site. The faunal collections remain notfully studied but they are re p o rted to be dominated by cer-vids and caprines (Bailey et al. 1983).

The Upper Palaeolithic industries from Aspro c h a l i k o(Adam 1989) are characterized by the lack of laminar blankp roduction; indeed there are no blades or blade core s .Most cores are flake cores worked with limited pre p a r a t i o nand maintenance and by frequent change of the flakingd i rection. The tool inventory (fig. 5) is dominated by blade-let tools (at ca 58 %) followed by end-scrapers (at ca 14.6%) and laterally retouched pieces (at ca 6 %), all made onflakes. No burins are present in the industries. The range ofthe backed bladelet types is limited and includes mostlyunilaterally backed forms. Microburins are absent. Noo rganic artefacts are as yet re p o rted from Asprochaliko.

The Kastritsa ridge (fig.6) is a karst formation isolated inthe Ioannina basin, some 10 km southeast of Ioannina andLake Pamvotis. The homonymous site, at an altitude of ca470 masl excavated by E.S. Higgs and his team during twoe x c ruciating field seasons in 1966 and 1967 (Higgs et al.1967), lies at the western slope of the ridge (fig.7). Theexcavations reached a maximum depth of some 9 metre s ,revealing a sequence (fig. 8) of three units of terre s t r i a l(strata 1,3,5), beach (strata 7,9) and lake (lower stratum 9)deposits (Bailey et al. 1983). The sequence is framed bysets of radiocarbon dates (by four original dates betweenca 22 and 13 kyr – Bailey et al 1983, and by one recent setof AMS dates between ca 24 and 15 kyr, Galanidou andTzedakis 2001, see tabl. 1). The archaeological re c o rd fro mthe first unit of deposits, that is the upper part of thesequence, testifies to more intensive use of the site com-p a red to the lower ones. A number of recent analytical andi n t e r p retative studies (Elefanti 2003 ; Galanidou 1997 ;Kotjabopoulou 2001) focussing on particular aspects ofthe cultural data from Kastritsa have stressed its profile asa multi-purpose camp. The Kastritsa sequence offers botha window in diachronic techno-typological diff e re n t i a t i o nand a case of activity documentation, so far unparalleledby any other site on greek terr i t o ry.

149

F i g u re 5 - Asprochaliko: selected artefacts from layers 4

and 10 (drawn by E. Adam).

F i g u re 5 - Asprochaliko : sélection d’objets provenant des

couches 4 et 10 (dessins E. Adam).

150

F i g u re 6 - General view

of the Kastritsa form a-

tion taken from Mount

Mitsikeli (photo: E.

A d a m ) .

F i g u re 6 - Vue générale

de la formation de

Kastritsa prise du Mont

Mitsikeli (Photo : E.

A d a m ) .

F i g u re 7 - General view of the Kastritsa cave taken fro m

west, along the local district road (photo: E. Adam).

F i g u re 7 - Vue générale de la grotte de Kastritsa vue de

l’ouest, de la route départementale (Photo E. Adam).

For the purposes of this paper we shall concentrate on strata5 and 3 that fall well within the temporal range of theGravettian; the topmost stratum 1 exhibits technological aswell as chronological diff e rentiation (Adam 1989, 1997, 1999).

The stone industries from Kastritsa are organised aro u n dtwo major parameters. One is the harvesting, for subsis-tence purposes, of populations of large ungulates (mostlyred deer, and to a lesser degree aurochs and steppe assas well as birds, Bailey et al 1983). The other parameter isthe transformation of animal products (e.g. hide, antler,bone) into functional and decorative (symbolic, too) gear.

A general trend in the industries from strata 5 and 3 is – incontrast to Asprochaliko - the ability to produce long andstraight blanks trough controlled and pre d e t e rm i n e dexploitation of the cores. The industry from stratum 5 (fig.9) is, like in all strata,dominated by flakes; blades and bladelets are re p re s e n-

ted in roughly equal numbers. A type of flint, originatingf rom the Voidomatis river area some 50 km nort h e a s tf rom Kastritsa is present in small quantities. Blade core smake their first appearance in the sequence. Shouldere dpieces and points (by a single example each), and micro-gravettes appear for the first time in the industrials e q u e n c e 2. The number of piercers, dihedral burins andburins on breaks increases. End-scrapers are present insimilar quantities to the burins; non- bladelet tools alsoinclude laterally retouched blades and totally or part i a l l yretouched pieces. Bladelet tools account for 51% of thetool group, and are re p resented mainly by unilaterallybacked bladelets, plain (and secondly truncated, andbilaterally backed bladelets with opposed retouch andwith inverse retouch on the ends).The industry from stratum 3 (fig.10, 11) exhibits technolo-gical diff e rentiation: the number of the cores increases andt h e re is a shift in the method of their exploitation : turn i n gof the cores during flaking is replaced by the adoption of a

151

F i g u re 8 - Kastritsa:

longitudinal section

t h rough Kastritsa

deposits (after Bailey

et al. 1983, p. 28).

F i g u re 8 - Kastritsa :

coupe longitudinale

(d’après Bailey et al.

1983, p. 28).

(2) A total of 20 shouldered points was part of a collection of 65 artefacts re p resentative of the industries, compiled by the

Higgs’ team in 1966, and subsequently illustrated in P. P.S. 1967. The collection was exported to England, possibly for exhibi-

tion purposes, and was finally re t u rned to the Ioannina Archaeological Museum by the Bailey team in 1985. Each artifact bears

a unique code-number that allows it to be traced – through the meticulous Flint Bag Number lists – to its original pro v e n a n c e

( rectangle, spit, layer), a task undertaken by the present author; according to these the shouldered points come from re c-

tangles 2 and 3, stratum 1. Their presence had lead Higgs to postulate on the existence of a shouldered point horizon in the

Kastritsa sequence (Higgs et al. 1967). The subsequent analysis of the industries showed that shouldered points occur fro m

as early as stratum 5 with their number increasing pro g ressively in strata 3 and 1.

152

F i g u re 9 - Kastrisa: selected artefacts from stratum 5 (drawn by E. Adam).

F i g u re 9 - Kastritsa : sélection d’objets provenant de la couche 5 (dessins : E. Adam).

153

F i g u re 10 - Kastritsa: selected artefacts from stratum 3 (drawn by E. Adam).

F i g u re 10 - Kastritsa : sélection d’objets provenant de la couche 3 (dessins : E. Adam).

154

F i g u re 11 - Kastritsa: selected artefacts from stratum 3, continued (drawn by E. Adam).

F i g u re 11 - Kastritsa : sélection d’objets provenant de la couche 3 (suite) (dessins : E. Adam).

second platform at opposed axes to the first. The quanti-ties of Voidomatis–type flint increase. Technological inno-vations include the intentional breakage of retouched andplain blades and the introduction of the microburin tech-nique (albeit in small numbers; it is fully employed in stra-tum 1). Blade blanks are pre f e rred to flakes for tool manu-f a c t u re. Laterally retouched blades of various types are thecommonest non-bladelet tool type. Burins outnumberend-scrapers, while multiple burins and micro p i e rc e r smake their first appearance. The bladelet tool class (at61% of the tool inventory) is dominated by backed blade-lets (predominantly unilaterally backed plain, followed bybacked bladelets with inversely retouched ends).

Another important feature of the Kastritsa assemblages isthe presence of a considerable collection of organic art i-facts (Adam and Kotjabopoulou 1997), and of items of per-sonal adornment and of symbolic value. The organic art i-f a c t s 3, present in the sequence since at least stratum 5(Adam 1999) were clearly complimentary to the stonetools. Most of them are made on antler, a material moresolid and efficient than bone, and easily obtainable by theusers of the site. The decorative items include 7 perf o r a t e ddeer canines (one with a decorative design), 2 serpentinitebeads, 6 perforated dentalium sp. shells and 21 perf o r a t e dshells (including 19 examples of Cyclope sp. s h e l l s)(Kotjabopoulou and Adam 2004).

The variety of raw materials employed at the Kastritsaindustries testifies to access over a wide area of exploita-tion. Judging by the presence of Voidomatis-type flint andof marine shells, materials were moved/provided for overconsiderable distances (between 50 and 100+ km).Although over- i n t e r p reting the data from a single site is anobvious risk, a picture can be sketched of a dynamic sys-tem of re s o u rce exploitation, through the exploration ofand experimentation with materials and techniques.

The ro c k s h e l t e r of G r a v a (fig.12) is situated on the southernslopes of mount Ay. Mathias in south Corfu, at an altitude ofc. 60 masl, and has a commanding view of the entire sou-t h e rn region of the island (Sordinas 1969). Trial excavationsin 1966 explored the upper part of the brecciated scre edeposits without reaching beyond the numerous ro c k f a l l s .No dates are available for Grava. The excavations pro d u c e dan Upper Palaeolithic stone assemblage of some 2000 art e-facts, supplemented by the fragment of an engraved bone,one perforated deer canine, one ochre-stained pebble andn u m e rous pebbles, some with use traces, according to thee x c a v a t o r 4. Birds abound in the fauna, while herbivores aredominated by bos primigenius followed by deer and capraspecies (Sordinas 1969).

The stone industries, according to the present stage of ana-lysis, include two phases, one comparable to stratum 3 at

155

F i g u re 12 - General view of the Grava shelter taken

f rom the feet of Mount Mathias (photo: E.Adam).

F i g u re 12 - Vue générale de l’abri de Grava prise du

pied du Mont Mathias (photo : E. Adam).

(3) With the publication of the organic implements from Kastritsa still pending (undertaken jointly by the author and Dr.

Kotjabopoulou), the only comments to be made on these assemblages relate to their impressive number (well over 200 items)

and their typological composition (mainly points with simple bases, few spatulas and awls and rare needles).

(4) The re-examination of the stone industries from Grava was initiated by the author in the late 1990’s. The analysis is not yet

completed; one major drawback is the inability to locate the original excavation re c o rds. In the absence of these, and based

solely on the artefacts, I am inclined to suggest the presence of two techno-typological horizons, one comparable to that fro m

stratum 3 and another comparable to that from stratum 1, both in the Kastritsa sequence.

Kastritsa, which is discussed in the present paper. The rawmaterials include a large variety of mostly fine-grained flintsof various colours, similar to those re c o rded in the Epiru ssites. The primary surfaces are cortical, while river- ro l l e dpebbles are absent. Most cores present a single platform ,with few opposed ones, and were exploited in order to pro-duce blades and bladelets. Blades are abundant in the debi-tage class, outnumbering the bladelets. The tool inventory(fig. 13) includes backed bladelets of various types, end-scrapers on retouched blades, burins and retouched blades,with a single occurrence of a shouldered point. Intentionalb reakage of blades is attested, same as at Kastritsa. Thebladelet tool class is re p resented mostly by unilaterally bac-ked bladelets, with few examples of backed types withretouched ends (occasionally with inverse retouch) and onem i c rogravette. The composition of the bladelet tool class,too, resembles the one from Kastritsa.

C O N C L U S I O N S

The synthesis on the Gravettian in Greece attempted inthis paper is in obvious need of refinement; unfort u n a t e l ywe are pestered with lack of a reliable body of comparabledata. The greek re c o rd for the period between 30 -20 kyris scanty and allows no general conclusions to be drawn.

Despite the small number of sites it appears that the re g i o nof northwest Greece provides the fullest documentation ofGravettian activity, with Kastritsa emerging as a key site.

E n v i ronmental conditions favorable for Palaeolithic settle-ment and a diversity of re s o u rces within a limited are a ,such as Epirus, provided refuge to human populations.The entire region of western Balkans seems to have acted

during the LGM as a refuge area for populations seekingsuitable settlement conditions (Kozlowski 1992). After thatperiod the archaeological re c o rd of Greece offers moresubstantial evidence for occupation through the exploita-tion of various environmental niches (Bailey and Gamble1990) made available after about 17 kyr (e.g. theVoidomatis gorge sites, Theopetra, Franchthi)

R e t u rning to Epirus, it is of interest to mention that noGravettian finds have so far been re p o rted from Albania, at e rrain geographically and environmentally closely re l a t e dto Epirus. Indeed, recent re s e a rch (surveys and excava-tions) in Albania has indicated the lack of finds ofGravettian character (Korkuti 2003), a fact interpreted asan indication that occupation in the area was interru p t e dbetween 26-13 kyr (Runnels et al. 2004).

The present paper merely tackled important issues re l a t e dto the presence and the character of Gravettian cultural datain the greek Palaeolithic re c o rd. Future re s e a rch will nodoubt lead to the revision of the statements presented here.

Acknowledgments

D. Kalpakis pre p a red the map of sites included in the textand Y. Nakas and P. Behlis added the finishing touches tothe illustrations of the artefacts.

156

F i g u re 13 - Grava: selected artefacts (photo: E. Adam).

F i g u re 13 - Grava : sélection d’objets (photo : E. Adam).

B I B L I O G R A P H Y

ADAM E. 1989 - A technological and typological analysisof Upper Palaeolithic stone industries of Epirus, nort h-

w e s t e rn Gre e c e. Oxford: BAR International Series 512,267 p. ill.

ADAM E. 1997 – To know and to have: raw material avai-lability and Upper Palaeolithic stone assemblage stru c t u rein Epirus. I n: G.N.Bailey (Ed.), Klithi: Palaeolithic settlementand Quatern a ry landscapes in northwest Greece. Vo l . 2 :

Klithi in its local and regional setting. C a m b r i d g e :McDonald Institute Monographs, p. 481-496.

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