Programmes > Par auteur > Adam Eugenia

The onset of postglacial conditions in Greece from the Pleistocene/Holocene boundary was characterised by gradual climatic amelioration, although punctuated by a short but severe downturn during the Younger Dryas between approximately 13,000 and 12,000 BP. These fluctuating environmental conditions together with possible demographic pressure had a significant impact on human subsistence and settlement strategies. These differed from region to region; for instance in southern Greece there was an expansion in diet breadth through the inclusion of small fauna and greater use of coastal and marine resources. On the other hand in north-western Greece, there appears to have been an expansion into novel areas, such as the uplands of Epirus where the targeted hunting of a more restricted range of species was undertaken. In this paper we discuss the role of Boila Rockshelter located within the Vikos Gorge, as part of a system of upland exploitation in this part of Greece during the final Pleistocene and early Holocene. Other components of this system are the late Upper Palaeolithic rockshelter of Klithi and Megalakkos located within the same gorge few kilometres to the east. Combining evidence from the chipped stone and faunal assemblages from Boila, we investigate the material and dietary context of these new adaptive strategies. As previous archaeological research undertaken in the area have suggested, the latter are characterised by regional long-distance mobility and multi-niches exploitation. We believe that Boila will contribute to a deeper understanding of inter-site variation on the local scale.