Magdalini Valla

The Promachon-Topolnica settlement is located on the SE slopes of Mount Cercine close to the west bank of the Strymon river, on a natural pass into the beginning of the valley of the Middle Strymon. The prehistoric settlement which lies across the Greek Bulgarian border is being jointly investigated by Greek and Bulgarian archaeologists .The !8th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities of Kavala, the Archaeological Institute of Sofia and PetricArcheological Museum coordinated their excavations with the aim of publishing the findings
in a common edition as part of inter- Balkan scientific cooperation.
The excavation on Bulgarian territory was carried in the period from 1980 to 1990 by professor H. Todorova with her associates J.Bojatsiev, I.Vaisov and V. Draganov,archeologists of the Sofia Archeological Institute The reaserch project on the Greek side began in 1992 and continued till 2003 by Ch.Koukouli-Chrysanthaki director
of the 18th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities in collaboration with I. Aslanis (National Research Centre) F.Tomais-Konnstantopoulou (Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and the archeologists D. Malamidou and M.Valla (18th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities).The results of the two excavations conducted
from 1980 to 2003 can be summarised as follows: A combination of surface investigation excavation and the use of electromagnetic ground probe data has determined the extent of a prehistoric open type settlement, which covered two adjacent hills .This settlement compassed a total area of 5 hectares and has habitation layers of between 0,50 metres and 1,20 in depth.
The excavations on both the Greek and the Bulgarian sides have identified three habitation phases dated according to CI 4 analyses from the end of the 6th millennium B.C.totheend of the 5th millennium BC.
The earliest phase 1, which had the two building phases (l-ll) is represented by buildings with underground rooms, most of which have been dwellings and work areas. However, in the Greek sector, a more important subterranean structure was found. The large roughly circular subterranean structure of the Greek sector was much bigger than the other excavated subterranean rooms of the settlement. It has a radius of more than 12 metres and a depth of more than 7 metres. Excavation inside revealed many successive destruction levels covered with deposits rich in finds. The numerous floor levels with similar deposits show successive use. The deposits located on floors were plastered with clay and contained large number of grinding stones,pottery
vessels and small objects (figurines, tools and jewelry pieces) ,as well as fragments of clay structures, animal bones and horns. Of special interest was the presence of many bull skulls found ,which possibly come from the symbolic decoration of the room.
The size of the subterranean structure, the large number and the finds, as well as the large quantities of animal bones and grinding stones presupposes the presence of a large number of participants at activities which took place here and must be detected as a clear evidence for the use of this structure. The discovery of a so called "public" building, which reminds the much earlier ones from the Near East, gives valuable information about the organization of the Neolithic society.
The next habitation phase 2,which has two building phases (IIIA-IIIB), provided us with architectural remains indicating timber framed (wattle and daub)houses with interior hearths. The best example of a timber framed house was found in the Bulgarian sector. Inside this building on a bench next to the West wall fragments of three relief protomes of female figures were found, which most probably come from the decoration of the West wall. These figures as well us an anthropomorphic vase and many clay figurines found inside and around this building have been considered as evidence for its interpretation as a «sanctuary».
Of particular interest was also some evidence for an early extractive metallurgy of copper which came to light on the levels of habitation phase 2. A clay crucible was recovered from a pit whose inner surface was burnt and filled with ashes and burnt soil. Discovered close to the pit containing the crucible in the floor was a series of shallow pits with successive layers of burnt clay on the interior which appear to be related to an early copper metallurgy process. Taking into account the early date of the crucible and of the shallow pits the1st half of the 5th millennium BC- the Promachon-Topolnica settlement has yielded some of the earliest evidence of the copper metallurgy in Europe.
The last phase of habitation 3 (building phase IV) has been severely damaged by ploughing and the very few traces of buildings that have survived were preserved better in the Greek sector.
The joint excavation program brought to light very rich finds. Tools (flints, stone axes, clay spindle whorls, clay loom weights, bone points), jewellery pieces (bracelets, beads of clay, marble and malachite), schematic marble and clay figurines used as pendants and large quantities of pottery and clay figurines.
The high quality of the decorated pottery was particularly remarkable. There were different kinds of incised, rippled and painted decoration which represent the most common types of decorated pottery from the
Late Neolithic period in Northern Aegean area and especially in Eastern Macedonia, Aegean Thrace, as well as in the Middle Strymon valley and in the interior of the Balkans. Among the decorated pottery, that with
bitumen paint deserves a special mention as it constitutes evidence of the cultural relations of the settlement Promachon-Topolnica with Central Europe. On the other hand, the color painted pottery p.e. the so called Acropotamos style and the "black on red" pottery, points to the cultural relations with the North Aegean and especially with Eastern Macedonia settlements. Also typical of the habitation phases 1 and 2 was the making of figurines .Although the female form was the
predominant subject, the male figure was not absent. The many male figurines and especially the discovery of a marble phallomorphic sculpture of big scale, exceptional for this period, showed the clear recognition of the male and female reproductive forces.
Part of the remarkable finds were also two house models, both decorated with bucrania in relief seen as original evidence for the Neolithic architecture.
The study of excavation finds including the paleobotanical and paleozoological material revealed a settlement of an agricultural and pastoral nature whose cultural physiognomy was defined by its economic and cultural relations with the Aegean world, the Balkan hinterland and with Central Europe.

Promachon-Topolnica a Neolithic settlement in the Balkans, situated on the border between Greece and Bulgaria (Balkans). The settlement was studied in two sectors: the sector in years 1980-1991 Topolnica (Bulgaria) is a sector in the years 1992-2003 Promachon (Greece). In this informative article presents the results of the study. The article is richly illustrated with color photographs.

The neolithic settlement Promachon-Topolnica extends over both sides of the Greek-Bulgarian border at the pyramid 63. The boundary line divides the settlement into two areas, a Greek (sector Promachon) and a Bulgarian (sector Topolnica). According to the spreading of ceramics in the area, it seemed to cover an area of ca. 40 hectares. However, recent geophysical investigations in the Bulgarian sector Topolnica caused a reassessment of the extent of the settlement. The site has been investigated in the years 1980-2003, 1980 to 1991 in the sector Topolnica and 1992 until 2003 in the sector Promachon. In the years 1995, 1996, 2002, 2010 and 2011 geophysical investigations took place.
In the earlier occupation phase 1 (5320-5070 BC) the settlement is surrounded by an oval earthen wall with diameters 100 and 60 m respectively and has an expansion of just 0,6 hectare. The buildings inside are semi subterranean. Their material probably served to the construction of the surrounding earth wall.
According to the finds, this phase is divided into an early stage (1a), which is characterised by the presence of ceramics decorated with bitum and generally by elements of the Vinča culture. The second stage (1b) is characterised by the presence of the painted pottery of the Akropotamos style and generally by the growing influence of the South.
During the next occupation phase 2 (5070-4700 BC) the settlement extents to a wider area. In the periphery of the eastern settlement part, the Bulgarian sector Topolnica, traces of a palisade are revealed, which probably replaced the earthwall at that part. At the same phase should belong the earthwall, which was detected west of the Greek excavation area. In this case, the settlement with diameter 260 and 80 m respectively acquired a greater area of approximately 2.1 hectares. Inside the settlement the semi subterranean houses of the previous phase are filled with deposits and transformed into ground floors houses.
On the next stage of this settlement phase (phase 2b) belongs the house 1 of the Bulgarian sector Topolnica. The kind, the co-existence and the arrangement of the findings refer to a sanctuary. In the settlement phase 2 traces of early mining and processing of copper are detected, as suggested by the metallurgical facilities with a melting pot found in situ. In 4700 BC the settlement Promachon-Topolnica was abandoned.
Later, in the settlement phase 3 (4460-4250 BC) the place was inhabited by a small group of people. Typical of this phase is the ceramic painted inside and out with graphite and the incised ceramic of the type Maritza I.

The poster presents the chronology of prehistoric settlement Promachon-Topolnica, which is of great importance for the history of the Neolithic in the Balkans. Promachon-Topolnica is the Bulgarian-Greek border. Survey results are a good example is the scientific cooperation among the Bulgarian and Greek archaeologists. The village is famous for the study of a large dug into the earth temple bull. Here for the first time using graphite as a technology to decorate pottery. This is a tradition from earlier Graphitized black topped technology vessels.