Geometric period may have started much earlier

Researchers using radiocarbon analysis to study the chronology of Zagora, an ancient settlement on Andros, Greece, have made a startling revelation: the so-called Geometric Period may have begun much earlier than previously believed. The study’s findings challenge long-established timelines, suggesting that Zagora’s Late Geometric phase commenced at least a century prior to the conventional date of 760 BC. The researchers write: “The dates assigned to Greek Geometric ceramics are based on historical and literary evidence and are found to contradict absolute dates from the central Mediterranean which suggest that the traditional dates are too young.” Radiocarbon analysis pinpoints the earliest occupation of Zagora between 1015 and 925 BC, with subsequent layers shedding light on the evolution of the settlement over centuries. By pushing back the start of the Late Geometric…