Archaeologists in northern Greece have unearthed the ruins of a Neolithic house, a rare find that offers valuable information about everyday life 6,000 years ago, the Greek culture ministry said. A kitchen area with two ovens, clay pots and stone tools, and two more rooms show stone age farmers processed grains in the house, which appears to have burned down. "This is a rare case. All findings have remained untouched by farming or any other activity for about 6,000 years. The household goods are in excellent condition," the ministry said in a statement.
     The rectangular building was discovered during work to lay water pipes earlier this year at the village of Sosandra near Aridaia, some 360 miles (580 kilometers) north of Athens. Archaeologists who excavated the site between March and July found a large number of clay vessels for cooking and eating, stone tools, mills for grinding cereals and two ovens. The house was separated into three rooms. It had walls made of branches and reeds covered with clay, supported by strong wooden posts. The building was destroyed by fire, which baked the clay, preserving impressions of the wooden building elements, as well as the post holes. Archaeologists believe the inhabitants managed to escape the fire, taking with them their valued stone blades and axes. "They left behind the large stone tools which would have been difficult to move away," the ministry statement said. -

Sources: Associated Press, GMA News (23 October 2008), Reuters, Scientific American (24 October 2008)