Supervisors info:
Γεωργία Κουρτέση – Φιλιππάκη, Αναπληρώτρια Καθηγήτρια Προϊστορικής Αρχαιολογίας, Τμήμα Ιστορίας και Αρχαιολογίας, Εθνικό και Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών.
Γεώργιος Βαβουρανάκης, Επίκουρος Καθηγητής Προϊστορικής Αρχαιολογίας, Τμήμα Ιστορίας και Αρχαιολογίας, Εθνικό και Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών.
Κωνσταντίνος Κοπανιάς, Επίκουρος Καθηγητής Προϊστορικής Αρχαιολογίας, Τμήμα Ιστορίας και Αρχαιολογίας, Εθνικό και Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών.
Summary:
This postgraduate dissertation examines the concept of seasonality as it manifests throughout the Palaeolithic period. The case studies of sites analyzed come from both the European and the Eastern Mediterranean, and all Paleolithic (Early, Middle, Later) periods are chronologically covered. The choice of examining the topic of seasonality stemmed from the writer's research interest in the study of the Paleolithic man’s way, the habitation models, as well as the exploration of the hunter-gatherer’s choices. By examining these data, we aim to approach Paleolithic human's way of thinking - as far as this is physically feasible.
The dissertation consists of three parts. The first part analyses some general characteristics about Palaeolithic, habitat structures and lifestyle. At the same time, the concept of seasonality and the methods by which it can be recognized archaeologically is analysed. Finally, we discuss the methodological problems that arise in research in the field of the Palaeolithic period. The second part follows a full presentation of the archaeological sites selected to examine the issue of seasonality as studied by archaeologists. In the third part, a synthesis of the data is carried out, which is related to examples of other places and through which the mobility of the Paleolithic hunter-gatherers and their hunting strategies are examined. Finally, the conclusions that have emerged from this overview on the issue of seasonality are presented.
In the field of Palaeolithic archaeology, the seasonality of habitation is a fundamental issue, the exploration of which is considered necessary in order to make it possible to reconstruct the way of life and the environment of the Paleolithic man. In the Palaeolithic period, as in historical times, annual changes and changes in environmental factors, available sources of food, mobility, etc. directly incorporated social and economic activities. However, although such an issue is of such importance, the investigations that have been carried out so far are relatively few compared to the general picture of excavated Paleolithic sites.
The reason is both the fragmented conservation of the zooarchaeological residues and to research interest of the paleolithic archaeologists until recently. Research in Greece is at an even earlier stage than in other countries. If one considers that the exploration of the Paleolithic remains in Greece began only in the 1960s, it is immediately clear that the study of the faunal osteological material and the study of the stone industry are at an earlier stage compared to that of other countries. As a result, seasonality remains an issue under study without sufficient data.
