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The island of Kokkinokastro

During the joint research program of the 13th EPKA with the conservancy of Speleology and Paleontology which included a surface and geomorfological study of the south side of Alonissos, a brief excavation around the area of Kokkinokastro was also conducted. The said excavation took place in 1994 – 1995 on the island of Kokkinokastro in the same dig site where D. Theoharis had conducted his research. The main goal of this excavation was to study the stratigraphy of the island and its uses during the phases of the quaternary era.
From the testing cuts which took place, the stratigraphical observations and the superficial study of the island the experts certified the existence of stratigraphical problems caused by the corrosion of the superficial strata and the aberrations of the upper fills of the island.
The studies also certified that the island was in fact inhabited but no sooner or later than the Bronze era. In addition, it remained unclear whether architectural constructions of the aforesaid era did in fact exist.
The fills of the installation of the Bronze era do not overcome the 0,80m and are separated in two layers which are attributed, based on ceramics, the lower one to the early period of the Bronze era and the upper one to the middle of the Bronze era.
In the lower layer of the Bronze, the digs revealed a piece that belonged to a fireplace (dimensions: 9,80m x 0,55m x 0,05m) possibly seasonal, with traces of combustion. The first human inhabitation of Kokkinokastro in the Bronze era seems to have happened on a barren archaeological fill. Moreover, in the superficial layers as well as the seasonal layers the experts found a mixture of Paleolithic and Neolithic tools and ceramics from the Classical and Hellenistic period.
According to the abovementioned data, the faulty position/origination of the Paleolithic and Neolithic tools, as well as the ceramics of the historic times, is attributed to their transportation from their original source that occurred when the island was separated from the main body of Alonissos.

Bibliography: 13th Conservancy of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities, District of Magnesia – Archaeological Report 50/1995 Duplicate, E.Scafidas