A Handaxe from Kokkinopilos, Epirus, and Its Implications for the Paleolithic of Greece

Abstract

A complete, well-preserved Micoquian-type handaxe was discovered in 1991 at Kokkinopilos, Greece, stratified 16 m below a paleosol of Last Glacial age containing abundant Middle Paleolithic artifacts. The handaxe was embedded in “redbeds” (very fine-grained) well-indurated red sediments, and is the same age as the redbeds. The lithology of the redbeds suggests slow sedimentation on the floor of a doline (sinkhole) with a variable but often high groundwater level. A minimum age well in excess of 60,000 years (60 kyr) for the handaxe . is furnished by the degree of maturity of the Middle Paleolithic paleosol. Taking into account the thickness of the overburden, correcting for compaction, and assuming a reasonable sedimentation rate, the estimated age of the handaxe is 250±50 kyr. We identify two periods of Paleolithic activity at kokkinopilos: late Lower Paleolithic at ca. 250 kyr separated by a hiatus from a Middle Paleolithic of ca. 100–30 kyr ago.

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