Editing Thasos (section)

===Prehistory===

Lying close to the coast of [[East Macedonia and Thrace|Eastern Macedonia]], Thasos was inhabited from the [[Palaeolithic period]] onwards,<ref>Papadopoulos S., "Recent Field Investigations in Paleolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Age Thasos", International Symposium in Memoriam Mieczislaw Domaradzki, Kazanlak, Archaeological Institute of Sofia, Kazanluk, (in press)</ref> but the earliest settlement to have been explored in detail is that at Limenaria, where remains from the Middle and Late [[Neolithic]] relate closely to those found at the mainland's [[Drama, Greece|Drama plain]]. In contrast, Early [[Bronze Age]] remains on the island align it with the [[Aegean civilizations|Aegean]] culture of the [[Cycladic culture|Cyclades]] and [[Sporades]], to the south; at Skala Sotiros<ref>Κουκούλη Χ.- Χρυσανθάκη, "Ανασκαφή Σκάλας Σωτήρος Θάσου", Το Αρχαιολογικό Έργο στη Μακεδονία και Θράκη, 1, ((1987), 1988, 391–406, 2 (1988), 1991, 421–431, 3 (1989), 1992, 507–520, 4 (1990), 1993, 531–545).</ref> for example, a small settlement was encircled by a strongly built defensive wall. Even earlier activity is demonstrated by the presence of large pieces of '[[megalith]]ic' [[Anthropomorphism|anthropomorphic]] [[stelai]] built into these walls, which, so far, have no parallels in the Aegean area.

There is then a gap in the archaeological record until the end of the Bronze Age c 1100 BC, when the first burials took place at the large cemetery of Kastri in the interior of the island.<ref>Chaidou Koukouli-Chrysanthaki: Πρωτοιστορική Θάσος. Τα νεκροταφεία του οικισμού Κάστρι, Μερος Α και Β, Υπουργείο Πολιτισμού, Δυμοσιέυματα του αρχαιολογικού Δελτίου Αρ. 45, {{ISBN|960-214-107-7}}</ref><ref>Agelarakis A., "Reflections of the Human Condition in Prehistoric Thasos: Aspects of the Anthropological and Palaeopathological Record from the Settlement of Kastri". Actes du Colloque International Matières prèmieres et Technologie de la Préhistoire à nos jours, Limenaria, Thasos.  The French Archaeological Institute in Greece, 1999.  447–468.</ref> Here built tombs covered with small mound of earth were typical until the end of the [[Iron Age]]. In the earliest tombs were a small number of locally imitated [[Mycenaean Greece|Mycenaean]] pottery vessels, but the majority of the hand-made pottery with incised decoration reflects connections eastwards with [[Thrace]] and beyond.