ABSTRACT
The first hominins arrived in Greece in the Lower or Middle Palaeolithic, though firmly dated evidence of Homo heidelbergensis or Neanderthals is rare. By the Upper Palaeolithic, Homo sapiens was fully established. Findspots are caves and open-air sites, such as Petralona, Kokkinopilos, Apidima, Theopetra Cave, Asprochaliko Cave, Lakonis Cave 1, Kalamakia Cave, Kleisura Cave, Franchthi Cave, Sidari on Corfu, Maroulas on Kythnos and Cave of Cyclope on Youra. With sea levels −130 m, many islands were conjoined with the mainland. The Cycladean Island joined together many of the later Cycladic islands. Scholars debate whether early hominins diffused accidentally or planned their island journeys. During the Mesolithic period, cave dwellers utilise a wide range of nearby resources, including fish, such as tuna. Obsidian from Melos also makes its first appearance. People now dwell permanently or seasonally on islands and make long journeys to procure Melian obsidian. Using experimental archaeology, scholars have explored the crafts potentially available, such as the papyrella. Islands were colonised gradually: first Crete, then large islands in the northern and southern Aegean, while the bulk was inhabited during the Neolithic.
