ABSTRACT
This chapter explores on conspectus of two distinct but contemporary Neolithic assemblages, easily discernable due to their characteristic features. Two distinct Neolithic entities sharing a relatively small geographic zone, such as northwestern Turkey, provide an optimal case to study spatial boundaries. The Neolithic of Northwestern Turkey, or the region around the Sea of Marmara, is relatively well documented, in spite of gaps in research leaving some areas blank. Every Neolithic site in western Marmara and the Balkans has revealed rich collections of clay and/or stone figurines, mostly depicting females. Ground stone utilitarian objects such as celts, adzes, and chisels are among the conventional markers of Neolithic communities, found in notable quantities at almost all Neolithic sites, and extremely common and varied in the western Marmara region. Farmers migrating into western Marmara found a region almost devoid of habitation and therefore continued moving, relocating farther into Thrace and the Balkans.
