Archaeological visibility and early farming habitation patterns in coastal Thrace (Greece) – An overview

This paper discusses the issue of archaeological visibility in coastal Thrace and the ways in which it has affected our knowledge on the archaeology of the region’s early prehistory. Landscape changes in the Rhodope plain and coastline dynamics noted from the end of the Pleistocene had an impact on the recording chances of surface archaeological material. These geomorphological studies – described here as general fields of reference – could be used in the context of one-period surveys in order to increase the resolution of archaeological materials and face up to the challenges of aphorisms such as ‘absence of evidence’. It is also suggested that well-focused field investigations in selective locations, using inexpensive methods such as coring techniques, could also reveal archaeological evidence related to sociocultural preferences. These specific fields of reference should be considered as a part of a conclusive survey and an interpretation strategy if landscape dynamics are to be addressed in depth by field archaeologists.