The oldest deposits of the Middle Palaeolithic at Theopetra
date approximately between 50,000 and 40,000 BC. But according to geological
indications, the earliest habitation of the cave can most probably be
dated to 70,000 BC. In one of the lowest layers, traces of human footprints
which date to 46,000±1600 years BP and belong probably to the anthropological
type Neanderthal
(Homo sapiens neanderthalensis) were revealed.
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The most interesting deposits (in a thickness of 3 metres) of the Middle
Palaeolithic date between 50,000 and 33,000 BP. The thick presence
of ash and remains of hearths (?) is characteristic. The lithic assemblage
of these layers is remarkable for its rarity and variety in artefacts which
were produced mainly from green and clear grey radiolarite, a stone
which abounds on the Pindos Mountains, in a radius of only 5-50 kilometres
from the cave. Apart from radiolarite, quartz was used but to a lesser
degree.
The lithic artefacts were worked with the technique Levallois
and have provided the best examples of lithics of the Greek Middle Palaeolithic;
such as bifacial pieces (handaxes), scrapers, denticulates, backed knives
and a few characteristic mousterien
leaf points.
Based on an analysis of the palaeobotanic samples, we infer that the
Middle-Palaeolithic inhabitants of the cave collected fruits like blackberry,
wild barley, lathyrus aphoca, large burdock berries, lithospermum, field
gromwell, elder, wild almond, pea, clover etc. Nutritional needs were
met in principle through hunting.
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