Seafaring in the Aegean: new dates

Stone Pages ^ | January 21, 2012 | Journal of Archaeological Science

[SunkenCiv]

Seafaring before the Neolithic -- circa 7th millennium BCE -- is a controversial issue in the Mediterranean. However, evidence from different parts of the Aegean is gradually changing this, revealing the importance of early coastal and island environments. The site of Ouriakos on the island of Lemnos (Greece) tentatively dates to the end of the Pleistocene and possibly the beginning of the Holocene, circa 12,000 BP... Obsidian, or 'volcanic glass', has been a preferred material for stone tools wherever it is found or traded. It also absorbs water vapour when exposed to air -- for instance, when it is shaped into a tool -- and absolute or relative dates can be determined for that event by measuring the depth of water penetration. In 10,000 years, the expected hydration depth is about 10 mm from the tool surface.

Two routes for the obsidian found at Franchthi have been considered: a direct one of around 120 kilometres with islets in between, and another one through Attica including crossings of 15 to 20 kilometres between islands. The presence of obsidian in mainland and island sites indicates that these voyages included successful return journeys.

Sites in Ikaria, in Sporades, and on Kythnos demonstrate that, during the Mesolithic, a well established system of obsidian exploitation and circulation existed -- a phenomenon that has its routes even earlier, as dates from sites in Attica indicate.

[SunkenCiv]

Edited from Journal of Archaeological Science, Volume 38, Issue 9, pp. 2475-2479 (2011)

Here's the underlying paper (archive it soon, it'll vanish):

• Early seafaring activity in the southern Ionian Islands, Mediterranean Sea
  George Ferentinos,
  Maria Gkioni,
  Maria Geraga,
  George Papatheodorou

[SunkenCiv]

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[muawiyah]

Even now there are those who RESIST the idea that people had boats as early as 12000 ybp.

I find it fascinating.

[Fiji Hill]

Seafaring before the Neolithic -- circa 7th millennium BCE BC-- is a controversial issue in the Mediterranean.

FIFY

[Mariner]

The more that is discovered about the ancient world the more fascinated I become.

For several hundred thousand years man has been dependent, mostly, on what Grandpa told him.

Only in the last 5-8 thousand years have we been able to write.

And now with modern technology and systematic excavation we are able to learn SO MUCH MORE than our ancestors about our human history.

It's a wonderful time to be alive, literally.

[Sherman Logan]

BCE vs. BC doesn’t bother me.

Why is year one the start of our Common Era? Their attempt to avoid mentioning Christ just highlights his importance in history. IMO.

[SunkenCiv]

Writing has been independently invented a number of times, and appears to be so commonplace that it wouldn't be surprising to find that most of the writing systems ever devised have been lost, and probably so long ago even the folklore (or possibly just the population that used it) has vanished.

In her Plato Prehistorian: 10,000 to 5000 B.C. Myth, Religion, Archaeology, Mary Settegast reproduces a table which shows four runic character sets; a is Upper Paleolithic (found among the cave paintings), b is Indus Valley script, c is Greek (western branch), and d is the Scandinavian runic alphabet.

[Pietro]

The similaities are amazing.

Of course most of them are simple shapes, which would be natural if carving into stone, but still......

[SunkenCiv]

If one is routinely carving into stone, it would be reasonable to use simple but distinct shapes.

[muawiyah]

It’s mostly about vulvas and mastadons ~ but not true writing.

[SunkenCiv]