Theopetra Cave
 The interior of the cave | |
| Location | 3 km (2 mi) south of Kalambaka |
|---|---|
| Region | Thessaly, Greece |
| Coordinates | 39°40′56.968″N21°40′54.876″E / 39.68249111°N 21.68191000°E / 39.68249111; 21.68191000 |
| Altitude | 300 m (984 ft) |
| Area | 500 m2 (5,382 sq ft) |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1987–2002, 2005–2008 |
Theopetra Cave is a limestone cave located in Theopetra village of Meteora municipality, Thessaly, Greece. It is situated on the northeast side of a limestone rock formation that is 3 km (2 mi) south of Kalambaka.[1] The site has become increasingly important as human presence is attributed to all periods of the Middle and UpperPaleolithic, the Mesolithic, Neolithic and beyond, bridging the Pleistocene with the Holocene.[2]
Description
Radiocarbon evidence shows for human presence at least 50,000 years ago.[2] Excavations began in 1987 under the direction of Ν. Kyparissi-Apostolika, which were meant to answer questions about Paleolithic Thessaly.
Several features of the cave indicate human occupation.[3][4]
Theopetra Cave contains one of the longest archaeological sequences in Greece, comprising Middle and Upper Palaeolithic as well as Mesolithic and Neolithic cultural remains.[5][6][7] The records have shown important palaeoenvironmental data based on sedimentary features and botanical remains.[8]
There are unverified claims that the cave contains a low wall, built in approximately 21,000 BC. If true, this would be the oldest known example of a human-made structure.[9]
Geologically, the formation of the limestone rock has been dated to the Upper Cretaceous period, 135–65 million years BP.[10][11]
Archaeogenetics
In 2016, researchers successfully extracted the DNA from the tibia of two individuals buried in Theopetra Cave. Both individuals were found in a Mesolithic burial context and separately dated to 7288–6771 BCE and 7605–7529 BCE. Both individuals were found to belong to mtDNA Haplogroup K1c.[12]
Access
The cave is located just to the north, within walking distance, of the center of Theopetra village. The Theopetra Cave Museum (Greek: Μουσείο Σπηλαίου Θεόπετρας) is located in the village.
Nearby, the ruins of the Monastery of St. Theodore (39°39′49″N21°41′41″E / 39.663677°N 21.694746°E / 39.663677; 21.694746 (Monastery of St. Theodore)) are located just to the south of Theopetra village, near the village of Agii Theodori (Άγιοι Θεόδωροι).
References
- ^Karkanas, Panagiotis; White, Dustin; Lane, Christine S.; Stringer, Chris; Davies, William; Cullen, Victoria L.; Smith, Victoria C.; Ntinou, Maria; Tsartsidou, Georgia; Kyparissi-Apostolika, Nina (June 2015). "Tephra correlations and climatic events between the MIS6/5 transition and the beginning of MIS3 in Theopetra Cave, central Greece". Quaternary Science Reviews. 118: 170–181. Bibcode:2015QSRv..118..170K. doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2014.05.027.
- ^ abYorgos Facorellis; Nina Kyparissi-Apostolika; Yannis Maniatis (2001). "The cave of Theopetra, Kalambaka: Radiocarbon evidence for 50,000 years of human presence". Radiocarbon. 43 (2B): 1029–1048. doi:10.1017/s0033822200041692. Retrieved 11 January 2017."alternate copy"(PDF). Facorellis et alii. (2001). "The cave of Theopetra, Kalambaka". Radiocarbon, 43 (2B), 1029–1048.
- ^Facorellis, Yorgos; Kyparissi-Apostolika, Nina; Maniatis, Yannis (2001). "The Cave of Theopetra, Kalambaka: Radiocarbon Evidence for 50,000 Years of Human Presence". Radiocarbon. 43 (2B): 1029–1048. doi:10.1017/S0033822200041692. S2CID 59415809.
- ^"The Theopetra Cave in Thessaly: A 130,000 year old prehistory (Part 1)". 5 October 2015.
- ^Kyparissi-Apostolika N. (1998). "The Significance of Theopetra Cave for Greek Prehistory". Préhistoire d' Anatolie Genèse de Deux Mondes. pp. 241–252.
- ^Kyparissi-Apostolika N. (1999). "The Palaeolithic deposits of Theopetra Cave in Thessaly (Greece)". The Palaeolithic Archaeology of Greece and Adjacent Areas. pp. 232–239.
- ^Panagopoulou E. (1999). "The Theopetra middle palaeolithic assemblages: Their relevance to the middle palaeolithic of Greece and adjacent areas". Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on the Palaeolithic of Greece and Adjacent Areas (ICOPAG). Athens, Greece: British School at Athens: 252–265.
- ^Tsartsidou, Georgia; Karkanas, Panagiotis; Marshall, Gilbert; Kyparissi-Apostolika, Nina (13 March 2014). "Palaeoenvironmental Reconstruction and Flora Exploitation at the Palaeolithic Cave of Theopetra, Central Greece: The evidence from phytolith analysis"(PDF). Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences. 7 (2): 169–185. doi:10.1007/s12520-014-0183-6. S2CID 129431281.
- ^Chasiotis, Kostas (2014-01-15). "Theopetra Cave, a 130,000 years old prehistoric site". Visit Meteora. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
- ^Ardaens, E. (1978). Geologie de la chaine du Vardussia, comparaison avec le massif du Koziakas (Grèce Continentale) (in French). Lille, France: Th è se 3 è me cycle.
- ^Karkanas, P. (1999). Lithostratigraphy and micromorphology of Theopetra cave deposits, Thessaly, Greece: Some preliminary results. Vol. 3. Athens, Greece: Studies of the British School at Athens. pp. 240–251.
- ^Hofmanová, Zuzana; Kreutzer, Susanne; Hellenthal, Garrett; Sell, Christian; Diekmann, Yoan; Díez-del-Molino, David; van Dorp, Lucy; López, Saioa; Kousathanas, Athanasios; Link, Vivian; Kirsanow, Karola; Cassidy, Lara M.; Martiniano, Rui; Strobel, Melanie; Scheu, Amelie; Kotsakis, Kostas; Halstead, Paul; Triantaphyllou, Sevi; Kyparissi-Apostolika, Nina; Urem-Kotsou, Dushka; Ziota, Christina; Adaktylou, Fotini; Gopalan, Shyamalika; Bobo, Dean M.; Winkelbach, Laura; Blöcher, Jens; Unterländer, Martina; Leuenberger, Christoph; Çilingiroğlu, Çiler; Horejs, Barbara; Gerritsen, Fokke; Shennan, Stephen J.; Bradley, Daniel G.; Currat, Mathias; Veeramah, Krishna R.; Wegmann, Daniel; Thomas, Mark G.; Papageorgopoulou, Christina; Burger, Joachim (2016). "Early farmers from across Europe directly descended from Neolithic Aegeans". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 113 (25): 6886–6891. doi:10.1073/pnas.1523951113. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 4922144. PMID 27274049.
