A Neolithic blueprint
On the Kastraki hill in Thessaly is the Sesklo settlement, one of Europe's oldest consistently occupied prehistoric sites. Inhabitation began around 7000 BCE, during the Pre-Ceramic Neolithic period. The earliest residents lived in subterranean huts dug partially into the ground. Over time, architectural methods evolved. By the Middle Neolithic period (5800-5300 BCE), the people of Sesklo constructed rectangular homes with stone foundations and mudbrick superstructures. Some evidence suggests these buildings had two-sloped timber roofs and possibly even a second story.
At its peak around 5000 BCE, the settlement covered approximately 20 hectares. It contained between 500 and 800 houses, with a population potentially as large as 5,000 people. The community was composed of the main settlement on the acropolis, which was enclosed by a stone wall about one meter thick, and a lower town spread across the surrounding plain. This dense arrangement of buildings, connected by narrow streets and small open squares, represents a very early form of intentional urban planning. The entire settlement was destroyed by fire around 4400 BCE.
The science of daily life
Archaeological science reveals a community with a sophisticated economy and trade network. The inhabitants cultivated einkorn and emmer wheat, barley, lentils, and peas. They managed herds of domesticated sheep and goats, supplemented by cattle and pigs. This combination of agriculture and animal husbandry is a characteristic of the Neolithic period.
Artifacts recovered from the site provide a detailed picture of the Sesklo culture. The community developed a distinct style of pottery, featuring fine-glazed earthenware with geometric designs, such as flame motifs, painted in red or brown colors. The discovery of one building with a large number of stored vases suggests it was a potter's workshop before being destroyed in the settlement-wide fire.
Analysis of stone tools shows the use of both local chert and obsidian. The obsidian has been geochemically traced to the island of Melos, over 150 kilometers away in the Aegean Sea. This finding confirms that the people of Sesklo participated in long-distance maritime trade networks as early as the 7th millennium BCE. Numerous terracotta figurines, many depicting female figures, have also been found, showing the symbolic and artistic life of this early European farming society.