Oldest human settlement in Aegean unearthed on Limnos island

The ruins of the oldest human settlement in the Aegean found so far have been unearthed in archaeological excavations by a team of Greek, Italian and American archaeologists on the island of Limnos, headed by Thessaloniki Aristotle University (AUTH) professor of Prehistoric Archaeology Nikos Efstratiou.

The excavation began in early June and the finds brought to light so far, mainly stone tools of a high quality, are from the Epipaleolithic Period approximately 14,000 years ago. The finds indicate a settlement of hunters, food-collectors and fishermen of the 12th millennium BC.

Until now, it was believed that the oldest human presence in the Aegean had been located in the Archipelagos of the so-called Cyclops Cave on the rocky islet Yioura, north of the island of Alonissos, and at the Maroula site on Kythnos island, dating to circa 8,000 (8th millennium) BC.

The excavations are being conducted at the Ouriakos site on the Louri coast of Fyssini in Moudros municipality on Limnos, with the assistance of the municipality and funding by the Institute for Aegean Prehistory (INSTAP).

Linmos is considered to be a region with signficant prehistoric archaeological finds, such as the Poliochne settlement that was inhabited from the middle of the 5th millennium BC to the end of the 2nd millennium BC, and the Koukonesi islet settlement dating approximately to the same chronological period, from the Early to the Late Bronze Ages.