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Articles

• Μερούσης, Νίκος

This paper presents the results of field surveys carried out over the past fifteen years in the areathat belongs today to the modern prefectures of Pella and Imathia. This is, for the most part, alowland plain that in the prehistoric period was located between mountain massifs and a closed bay(gulf of Loudias) into which debouched many rivers. During the Neolithic times the number ofsettlements increased steadily, peaking in the Late Neolithic, while the rate of habitation decreaseddramatically in the Bronze Age, a phenomenon that may be associated with environmental andeconomic causes. The preferred type of site for prehistoric settlements was the tell, but other types(flat sites, caves) are also found. In the Neolithic period most settlements were fairly extensive butrelatively low, while by contrast in the Bronze Age the habitational area decreases and the heightincreases. The reason for this lies in the organisation of the settlement's internal space. In theNeolithic period settlements occupying an extensive area were apparently sparsely populated,while excavations have revealed the presence, in the Late Bronze Age, of terraces delimiting theresidential space, while at the same time the height of the tells increased. The presence of terracesin conjunction with an intense storage activity may indicate the presence of an elite that exercisedcontrol over and directed the life of the community.

• History and Archaeology

• Αρχαιολογία

Prehistoric habitation, Field survey, Tells, Flat sites, Late Bronze Age terraces, Small-scale settlement network