Longevity, creativity, and mobility at the “oldest city in Europe”: ceramic traditions and cultural interactions at Poliochni-Lemnos, northeast Aegean

Abstract

The settlement of Poliochni, located on the east coast of Lemnos Island (northeast Aegean), stands out as one of the largest early urban centres in the Early Bronze Age Aegean. It is often referred to as the “oldest city in Europe” due to its remarkable urban planning and richness of material culture. Excavations at Poliochni have brought to light important evidence that testify to its nodal position and receptiveness to cultural interactions across the Aegean and beyond, including an array of craft innovations and acts of communal control. Traditionally viewed as a maritime-oriented community with strong Trojan influences and extensive connections with the Cyclades and Mainland Greece, as indicated by distinctive pottery styles and imported raw materials and artefacts, Poliochni’s ceramic assemblage presents a diverse array that incorporates elements from both the Aegean and western Anatolia. This paper offers an analytical overview of the pottery excavated by the Italian Archaeological School at Athens during the 1930s and 1950s. Thin-section petrography and elemental analysis with WD-XRF have allowed a first characterisation of the local potting traditions and a diachronic assessment of raw material exploitation strategies of southeast Lemnos. More importantly, this paper significantly contributes to our knowledge of exchange networks and connectivity during the third millennium BC, through the identification of imports with provenance locations on several islands in the central and northeast Aegean.