Brief Description
This 2001 book looks at Neolithic society, including perspectives on funerary rituals and figurines.
Learn More about the Book
Farmers made a sudden and dramatic appearance in Greece around 7000 BC, bringing with them new ceramics and crafts, and establishing settled villages. Their settlements provide the link between the first agricultural Near Eastern communities and the subsequent spread of the new technologies to the Balkans and Western Europe. Drawing on evidence from a wide range of archaeological sources, including often neglected "small finds," the author introduces daring new perspectives on funerary rituals and the distribution of figurines, and constructs a complex and subtle picture of early Neolithic societies.
About the Author
Catherine Perles is Professor in the Department of Ethnology at the University of Paris. Her recent publications include Prehistoire du feu (1977), Les industries lithiques taillees de Franchthi (3 vols., 1987, 1990, in press) and 'Greek Neolithic: a new review' (co-authored with J.-P. Demoule, 1993).
Review Quotes
1. 'It is refreshing to read an excellent archaeological study written in clear language, rather than someone's second-rate storytelling.' Antiquity
2. "This fresh, authoritative coverage of the early Neolithic in eastern Greece wraps together a nice presentationof the principal sites, an evaluation of the radiocarbon chronology, and a well-illustrated review of crafts with a penetrating review of the major interpretive questions. While an essential volume for colleges and universities with programs in archaeology, anthropology, and classical studies, the engaging text will also appeal to informed general readers." Choice
