Along the widespread flint rocks of Nea Artaki, Euboea (Evia), in the years 1977-1978 I detected open sites with rock processing residues for the construction of Palaeolithic tools, whereas evidence of settlements with thousands of tools were found in the coastal area. Nea Artaki used to be a major attracting pole for hunters and nomads, mainly for the construction of stone tools, from the Lower Palaeolithic to Chalcolithic period. The area has been declared an archeological site since 1985, but its prehistoric site was largely destroyed after the settlement expanded over the few years. Amongst the numerous stone tools I saved, a diversity of handaxes, cleavers, clactonian flakes etc. presented herein, are in consistency with the standards of the Lower Palaeolithic period.
The scarcity of Palaeolithic quarry sites in Greece, the density, the number, the variety of artifacts from different periods, their extent on the ground surface, as well as the specificity of the composition of the locally available flints – which are being eliminated following their use as building materials at present – shall indicate the urgency for the effective protection of communal sites and one of the most significant open palaeolithic sites in Greece.
