Earliest Occupation at Asagi Pinar: Layer 7

Toward the end of the last Ice Age, the transition from hunting and gathering to a settled life based on food production was the first step in radical changes that would determine the history of humanity. A very dynamic process was experienced during the approximately 4,000 year-long period known as the Neolithic; as the main elements that determined the Neolithic lifestyle formed over time, the Neolithic geography also tended toward a continuous expansion. The earliest settlements in Eastern Thrace correspond to a process where it was culturally settled with all the rules of the Neolithic lifestyle, and these settlements expanded their geography to the Balkan Peninsula. As one of the earliest settlements in Eastern Thrace, Asagi Pinar is located along the southern outskirts of the Istranca Mountains and the northern part of the Ergene Basin. The period of the first occupation in Asagi Pinar has been dated to 6000-5750 BC. This period corresponds to the Late Neolithic/ Early Chalcolithic Period of the Anatolian timeline. This paper discusses the earliest settlement phase known as Layer 7 in Asagi Pinar through its architectural features. This period represents the early stages of settled life in the Balkans, and this paper will emphasize the characteristics of the settlement in Asagi Pinar and the general evaluations of life during this period.