The transition from the Pre-Pottery to the early Pottery Neolithic period at the site of Uğurlu on the Island of Gökçeada, NE Aegean

Abstract

Uğurlu, on the island of Gökçeada (Türkiye), is among the most important sites in the Aegean when considering the transition from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic to the early Pottery Neolithic. To date, the emergence of pottery in the Aegean has been described based on only a few sites, and except for Uğurlu, transition layers have not been adequately studied. The relatively small Pre-Pottery Neolithic settlement at Uğurlu is about one metre thick and has been divided into seven layers. There is a continuous transition to the pottery layer, around 6600 cal BC. Although pottery production, which emerged without trial and error, indicates pre-existing knowledge, the first pottery was entirely of local production. This paper examines the similarities and differences in material culture between the Pre-Pottery and later Pottery Neolithic layers of Uğurlu.

Keywords

• Aegean islands
• Initial Neolithic
• Early Pottery Neolithic
• Aegean Neolithic