PrehistoryLate Neolithic · Toumba Serron, Serres, Central Macedonia, Greece
First Late Neolithic graves from this part of Greece found near Serres
The two burials lay in a possible ditch beside an earthen wall, traced for about 900 metres, that once enclosed the prehistoric settlement of Toumba Serron.
In brief 3 key points
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- Two Late Neolithic graves found beside a prehistoric enclosure wall at Toumba Serron.
- No Late Neolithic burials had been documented before in this part of Greece.
- Excavations from 2022 to 2024 also found houses, flint tools and animal bones.
Archaeologists have found two Late Neolithic graves at Toumba Serron, a prehistoric settlement near Serres in northern Greece. According to the British School at Athens, no Late Neolithic burials had been documented before in this part of Greece. That makes the graves potentially significant for understanding how people there treated their dead.
The graves lay in a possible ditch next to an earthen wall that once surrounded the settlement. They were among several finds made during excavations from 2022 to 2024. The work also exposed houses and other features from different stages of Neolithic occupation.
The site is a mound, which is what the Greek word toumba means. Earlier surveys had recorded pottery scattered across it and signs of buried structures. Those results helped the team choose where to dig and trace how the settlement's buildings and open spaces changed over time.
A long wall from the earlier phase
The researchers traced the enclosure wall for about 900 metres. It was roughly 2.7 metres wide. It appears to have been used during an earlier phase of the Late Neolithic settlement.
The excavations suggest the wall may have gone out of use as the settlement entered a later phase. It is not yet clear whether the graves date to the time the wall stood or to after it was abandoned.
From the earlier period, the team found mudbrick structures. From the later period, they found an oval house measuring 4.3 by 2.95 metres. A possible kiln and an open area nearby give more evidence of activity around the homes.
The oval house matters because earlier work had suggested that much of the evidence for houses from the later period had been lost. Its discovery shows that some buildings from that phase are preserved.
Drone mapping, magnetic surveys and soil samples also picked out possible ovens, hearths and burned structures. The archaeological layers lie about 1.6 to 2 metres below the surface.
Flint blades, sheep and eaten dogs
Most of the stone tools examined were made of flint from the Nigrita mountains and the Rhodope range. Wear on several blades suggests people used them to cut cereals and weeds.
Sheep and goats made up nearly 60% of the animal bones studied. Pigs followed at 23% and cattle at 18%. The team also found evidence that the villagers produced milk.
The bones included an unusual number of unborn and newborn sheep, goats and pigs. There were also signs that people ate dogs.
The researchers are exploring whether disease, poor nutrition or other environmental pressures affected the food supply.
The team is also building digital records and three-dimensional maps of Toumba Serron. These are meant to document the finds and help explain the settlement's history.
Sources (1)
News reportsfrom British School at Athens
Edited by Guiseppe Weijermars
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