Archaeological Site of Sesklo

Telephone numbers: +30 24210 25285, +30 24210 95172.

The second and oldest Neolithic settlement is Sesklo, 15km west of Volos, on the same way after Dimini and near current Sesklo. The excavations on Kastraki hill and around this area in 1901 unearthed the oldest Neolithic settlement in the Balkans. These findings made the settlement of Sesklo one of the most important Neolithic settlements in Greece and Europe.

The Neolithic settlement of Sesklo was developed on Kastraki hill and around the area. It was inhabited from the middle of the 7th millennium up to the 4th millennium BC. In the Middle Neolithic period (5th millennium BC), the settlement extended over a large area, at least 100 acres.

Interesting buildings are the so-called “House of the Potter” -with storage space and space with constructions for the preparation of food and cottage industry activities- and the “Megaron” (Palace), which consists of vestibule, main room and chamber and is surrounded by circular stone enclosure systems. The other houses of the settlement were arranged around this central core.

The settlement acquired extensive area in the Middle Neolithic era. This period coincides with the known “Sesklo civilization” and is characterized by the growth of ceramics and the improvement of the ceramic firing technique. The wide use of stone tools is characteristic along with the abundant use of obsidian coming from Milos.