Cultural Corridors of South East Europe

Heritage by Type / Ancient Site

Poliochni

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Poliochni

About the site


Corridor: Via Egnatia
Country: Greece, Lemnos
Type: Ancient Site
Epoch: Prehistory
Theme:
World Heritage:
PrehistoryAncient Site

Poliochni on Lemnos was one of the most important Aegean settlements during the 3rd millennium BC. It represents a culture that developed in the 3rd millennium BC on the islands of the northeast Aegean; the easternmost site where its remains have been found is Troy, on the coast opposite Lemnos.
The site of Poliochni was continuously inhabited all through the 3rd millennium BC.as is attested by the successive architectural phases. The settlement of the Yellow phase was destroyed by natural causes, perhaps by an earthquake, at the end of the 3rd millennium BC. It was subsequently abandoned for quite a long period, and only sporadically reoccupied in the 2nd millennium BC.
The prehistoric settlement of Poliochni was discovered in the summer of 1930, during the archaeological investigation of the site carried out by the Italian Archaeological School of Athens. Two excavation campaigns were conducted by the Italians, the first lasting from 1930 until 1936 and the second, after the World War II, from 1951 to 1956. Excavations were resumed in 1986, along with clearing, consolidation and restoration work and were completed in 1995.

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