A large, Middle Neolithic building has been discovered at the top of the Koutroulou Magoula Neolithic settlement in Central Greece. The tell settlement measures 3.7 hectares, rises around 6.6 metres from the surrounding plain, and was occupied during the Middle Neolithic period (6000-5800 BCE); it was also used for burials during the Late Bronze Age (circa 1500-1400 BCE) and Medieval periods (circa 1100 CE).  
     The newly discovered building has stone walls 9.5 metres long and almost 8.5 metres wide, and is one of the largest of this period to be found in Greece. It also appears to have been supported by a massive external buttress. Its function remains unclear, but preliminary results indicate it was used over a long period which of 0time and underwent rebuilding and modifications. At certain periods it also seems to have been shared with domestic animals.
     Another important find is a complex of heavily burnt, closed pottery kilns near the edge of the settlement. One of the kilns preserves extremely well its plastered floor, parts of its plastered walls and dome, and other architectural features. It was built on a coarsely plastered platform. "This is an extremely important find, and an indication of the technological sophistication of the Neolithic inhabitants of the site," says Dr Nina Kyparissi-Apostolika, of the Ephorate of Palaeoanthropology and Speleology, co-director of the excavation with professor Yannis Hamilakis of Brown University.
     Excavations this year have proven beyond doubt that the settlement in the Neolithic was surrounded by perimeter ditches - large, seemingly communal works with multiple social, symbolic and practical functions. The natural bedrock had been cut by people in the Neolithic to form steps to facilitate digging, but also enable its continuous use for collecting water and possibly clay. Professor Hamilakis points out that, "Given the size of the settlement, the time and effort invested in the creation and maintenance of this system of ditches would have phenomenal. These ditches would have been a central feature in the material and social life of the community."
     This season's findings include numerous clay figurines and house models, adding to the already impressive and diverse collection of more than 400 figurines from the site.

Edited from Tornos News (28 July 2019)