Kephala, Kea is a Late/Final Neolithic settlement on the Greek island of
Kea
The kea ( ; ; ''Nestor notabilis'') is a species of large parrot in the Family (biology), family Strigopidae that is endemic to the forested and alpine regions of the South Island of New Zealand. About long, it is mostly olive-green, with br ...
. It is located on a rocky promontory, in the northern part of Kea. The Final
Neolithic
The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...
of the
Cyclades
The CYCLADES computer network () was a French research network created in the early 1970s. It was one of the pioneering networks experimenting with the concept of packet switching and, unlike the ARPANET, was explicitly designed to facilitate i ...
is fully represented here. It is the only significant open settlement of this period. This means a settlement with free-standing structures that is not protected by a wall.
Some sites in Attica, such as Athens and
Thorikos
Thorikos or Thoricus () was a city, and later a ''deme'' in the southern portion of ancient Attica, one of the twelve original settlements that were united in the ''synoikismos'' attributed to Theseus to form Archaic Athens. It was later a ''deme ...
, and in
Aegina
Aegina (; ; ) is one of the Saronic Islands of Greece in the Saronic Gulf, from Athens. Tradition derives the name from Aegina (mythology), Aegina, the mother of the mythological hero Aeacus, who was born on the island and became its king.
...
seem to be related to Kephala. The Final Neolithic Period in southern Greece is known as
Attica-Kephala culture.
Excavations
The site was excavated between 1964 and 1973 by a team from the
University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati, informally Cincy) is a public university, public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1819 and had an enrollment of over 53,000 students in 2024, making it the ...
.
Only a few foundation walls have survived from the settlement. The buildings consisted of one or more small rectangular rooms. All buildings were made of the island's limestone. Grave goods were rare and consisted of a simple vessel or some small stone tools.
Dating
Kephala has been recently dated to about 4600-4500 BC, but the Attica-Kephala culture may have continued later even in the 4th millennium BC, such as up to 3500 BC.
The Neolithic community of Kephala may have consisted 45-80 people. They farmed cereals, and kept sheep, goats, cattle and pigs. But fishing was also important.
Pottery was covered with a red slip and decorated by burnishing. Pottery shards come from bowls and jars made from the clay of the island itself. Decoration is rare.
The tools were also manufactured of
obsidian
Obsidian ( ) is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed when lava extrusive rock, extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimal crystal growth. It is an igneous rock. Produced from felsic lava, obsidian is rich in the lighter element ...
that came from the island of
Melos
Milos or Melos (; , ; ) is a volcanic Greek island in the Aegean Sea, just north of the Sea of Crete. It is the southwestern-most island of the Cyclades group.
The ''Venus de Milo'' (now in the Louvre), the '' Poseidon of Melos'' (now in the ...
. They also made marble vases.
Some terracotta figures were found. They are similar to the later Cycladic idols from other islands, but are designed in a much simpler way.
The use of copper is remarkable, as evidenced by slag finds and metallic fragments. Artifacts themselves have not survived.
On the slope of the promontory, a little lower than the settlement, a
cist
In archeology, a cist (; also kist ;
ultimately from ; cognate to ) or cist grave is a small stone-built coffin-like box or ossuary used to hold the bodies of the dead. In some ways, it is similar to the deeper shaft tomb. Examples occur ac ...
grave cemetery was found. The walls of the graves were made of small flat stones, and each had a number of burials. Children were commonly buried in pottery jars (
pithoi). The cemetery may have been in use for about 150 years.
Evidence for metalworking was found, one of the earliest occurrences in the Aegean. Fragments of clay
crucible
A crucible is a container in which metals or other substances may be melted or subjected to very high temperatures. Although crucibles have historically tended to be made out of clay, they can be made from any material that withstands temperat ...
s and small copper artifacts were discovered. The copper that was used at Kephala may have come from the mines in
Lavrion in eastern Attica.
Kephala on Kea
Foundation of the Hellenic World
Agia Irini is another Neolithic settlement on the island of Kea.
See also
*Saliagos
Saliagos () is an islet in the Greece, Greek island group of Cyclades. It is the first early farming site and one of the oldest settlements of the Cycladic culture.E. H. Cline (ed.), ''The Oxford Handbook of the Bronze Age Aegean'', , Jan. 2012.
...
*Ftelia
Ftelia () is an archaeological site located on a beach on the island of Mykonos, Greece.
Archaeology
This waterfront location has become known in late 1990s for the famous neolithic settlement found here. It is attributed to the Saliagos cult ...
Notes
Bibliography
* John Coleman: ''Kephala. A late neolithic settlement and cemetery'', Keos : results of excavations conducted by the University of Cincinnati under the auspices of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, American School of Classical Studies, Princeton, New Jersey 1977, ISBN 0-87661-701-1.
* Werner Ekschmitt: ''Die Kykladen. Bronzezeit, geometrische und archaische Zeit''. Philipp von Zabern, Mainz 1993, ISBN 3-8053-1533-3.
External links
Kephala on Kea
Foundation of the Hellenic World
{{Authority control
Cycladic civilization
Archaeological sites on the Aegean Islands