Σπήλαιον Φράγχθι(in Greek) | |
 Entrance to Franchthi Cave seen from Koilada | |
  Franchthi Cave Shown within Peloponnese Show map of Peloponnese Franchthi Cave Franchthi Cave (Greece) Show map of Greece | |
| Alternative name | Frankhthi Cave |
|---|---|
| Location | Koilada,Argolis,Greece |
| Region | Argolis |
| Coordinates | 37°25′24″N23°07′56″E / 37.42333°N 23.13222°E /37.42333; 23.13222 |
| History | |
| Periods | Paleolithic toNeolithic |
| Site notes | |
| Public access | yes |
Franchthi Cave orFrankhthi Cave (Greek:Σπήλαιον Φράγχθι) is an archaeological site overlooking Kiladha Bay, in theArgolic Gulf, opposite the village of Kiladha in southeasternArgolis,Greece.
Humans first occupied the cave during theUpper Paleolithic, appearing around 38,000BC (and possibly earlier.)[1] Groups continued to live in or seasonally visit the cave throughout theMesolithic andNeolithic eras, with occasional short episodes of apparent abandonment.[2] Last occupied around 3,000 BC (Final Neolithic), Franchthi was used as a shelter for around 35,000 years and is one of the most thoroughly studied sites from the stone age inSoutheast Europe.[3]
T. W. Jacobsen, a professor of classical archaeology and classical studies atIndiana University, began excavations at Franchthi Cave in 1967. The dig was only intended to temporarily occupy Jacobsen and his fellow researcher, M.H. Jameson, for one short season, while they waited for land use issues to be resolved at a nearby site. But it soon became clear that Franchthi Cave was more important than they had anticipated.[4] The excavation, overseen by Jacobsen, would continue for nearly a decade, ending in 1976. Since then numerous scholars have examined the extensive finds.[5]
A study on the dietary practices of Lower Mesolithic and Middle Neolithic humans from the cave revealed that they primarily relied on terrestrial food sources with minimal consumption of marine resources. Researchers analyzed isotopic data from human and animal remains, confirming that these prehistoric populations had diets dominated by terrestrial animal protein, including meat and milk from sheep, and showed little to no reliance on marine food despite the site's coastal location. The study used advanced isotope analysis of amino acids to differentiate between dietary sources, revealing that individuals from both periods showed high terrestrial protein intake, and the consumption of aquatic resources was minimal or seasonal. The findings also suggest that the landscape around the cave during the Neolithic was significantly different from today, as rising sea levels had pushed the shoreline several kilometers away, affecting the availability of marine resources. The research emphasizes that the proximity of marine food sources did not result in a diet dominated by seafood due to these environmental changes.[6]
During much of its history Franchthi was significantly further from the coastline than it is today, due to lower sea levels that have since risen around 120 metres (400 ft).[7] Thus, its inhabitants looked out on a coastal plain that was slowly submerged over the course of their occupation.[8]
During theUpper Paleolithic Franchthi Cave was seasonally occupied by a small group (or groups), probably in the range of 25–30 people, who mainly huntedwild ass andred deer, carrying a stone tool kit offlintbladelets and scrapers.[9] Its use as a campsite increased considerably after theLast Glacial Maximum (LGM), with occasional hiatus in the sequence of occupation.[10]Obsidian from the island ofMelos appears at Franchthi as early as 13,000 BC, offering the earliest evidence ofseafaring and navigational skills byanatomically modern humans inGreece.[11] (There is evidence that suggests ancient mariners - such asHomo erectus orHomo heidelbergensis – may have reachedCrete at least 130,000 years ago.)[12][13]
An apparent break in the occupation of Franchthi Cave occurred during theYounger Dryasclimate cooling event,[14][15] after which aMesolithic culture appeared as the world settled into the warmHoloceneclimate that continues today. TheMesolithic is represented by only a few sites inGreece, and, like Franchthi, nearly all of them are close to the coast.[16] They did not rely as heavily on big game as their predecessors, probably due to the changingclimate andenvironment; instead they broadened their resource base to include a variety ofsmall game, wild plants,fish andmollusks.[17] The evidence of an expanding diet of fish and increased use ofobsidian fromMelos at Franchthi during this period shows they were accomplished seafarers.[18] There is a notable stretch spanning several hundred years (circa 7,900 – 7,500 BC) whentuna became a major part of the diet at Franchthi Cave,[19] implying deep sea fishing. It has also been suggested that the tuna could have been caught by placing nets near the shore.[20][21] A few graves, including Kay B.’s, have been found buried in the cave during theMesolithic that suggest care for the dead.[22]
The cave also contains some of the earliest evidence foragriculture inGreece. Around 7,000 BC,[23] the remains of domesticated plants and animals are found among the usual wild plant and animal species hunted and gathered during theMesolithic, suggesting that either the inhabitants of Franchthi had begun to practiceagriculture or were trading for seeds and meat with theNeolithic people who had recently arrived from theNear East.[24] There has been some debate about whetheragriculture developed locally inGreece, or was introduced by colonists. It is now generally believed that emigrants from thePre-Pottery Neolithic B cultures of theNear East arrived by boat at the beginning of the seventh millennium BC to settleGreece (c. 6900 BC), introducingagriculture.[25] For some time the evidence from Franchthi was used as an example in support of locally developedagriculture, but more detailed study of the remains has demonstrated that the evidence supports the foreign introduction of domesticated plants and animals.[26] TheMesolithic hunter-gatherers ofGreece rapidly adopted the methods introduced to them byNeolithic colonists, including at Franchthi Cave.[27]
During theNeolithic, the main occupancy of the cave shifted to an area outside the entrance, called the Paralia (the seaside),[28] where terracing walls for growing crops were built.[29] It is believed the inhabitants also occupied a village below the Paralia, which is now submerged beneath the sea. Severalanthropomorphic andzoomorphicfigurines have been recovered at Franchthi from theNeolithic era,[30] and it has been suggested that the site may have served as a workshop for making cockle-shell beads to trade with inland communities during the Early Neolithic.[31] The cave and the Paralia were abandoned around 3,000 BC.
The Franchthi area of Kiladha Bay is considered a strong candidate for having a submerged Neolithic village, and in 2012 a search was launched for any underwater evidence of such a site. Called the Bay of Kiladha Project, it is a collaboration between theUniversity of Geneva and the GreekEphorate of Underwater Antiquities. Its first step was to conduct coring, sampling, and charting to create a detailed map of "the paleo-shorelines and submerged prehistoric landscapes of the latePleistocene and EarlyHolocene..." for use in discovering traces of prehistoric human activity. This study of the seafloor involved two research vessels: the Alkyon from theHellenic Center for Marine Research, andPlanetSolar, currently the world's largest solar-powered boat, which was commissioned by the University of Geneva for its Terra Submersa program.[32][33]
In 2014 the Terra Submersa team, led by Julien Beck, was waiting for permission to conduct their survey of the Franchthi area of Kiladha Bay. To bide their time they ran some training dives several hundred metres north, just outside the mouth of the Bay, at Lambayanna Beach. These dives revealed very old pottery fragments and odd seafloor anomalies that piqued their interest. Returning in 2015 for a more thorough investigation, they found the ruins of anEarly Bronze Age city. The site spans 1.2 ha (3.0 acres) and lies beneath 1 and 3 m (3 and 10 ft) of water. It includes the foundations of buildings, stone paved surfaces that are likely roads, and what appear to be the remains of a fortification wall with three large towers. Such a defensive structure would be the first of its kind to be discovered from the Early Bronze Age in Greece. The visible remains of Lambayanna are dated to theEarly Helladic II era (c. 2650 – c. 2200 BC), making it a contemporary of theHouse of the Tiles atLerna, the building of theGreat Pyramids, and both theCycladic andMinoan cultures of the nearbyAegean islands. A second layer of Lambayanna has been identified as Early Helladic I (c. 3200 – c. 2650 BC), and a third layer has revealed pottery that dates all the way back to an intermediary period between the Bronze Age and the Neolithic, suggesting not only that the site is well over 5,000 years old, but that it may have had an overlapping relationship with the Neolithic Franchthi community.[34][35][36][37]
The Bay of Kiladha Project continues to study the find at Lambayanna, while maintaining its search for a prehistoric settlement directly off the shore of Franchthi Cave.[38]
