Threshing boards represent an important innovation in agricultural techniques. It allows processing huge amount of cereals and it has often associated to an increased agricultural production. Their use is attested during the Late Neolithic / Chalcolithic and Early Bronze both in south-western Asia and Europe. In the mediterranean area, their use lasted until few decades ago. Recently, as part of project focused on the analysis of the early agricultural tools of Neolithic Greece, a few elements bearing macro- and microscopic use-wear traces similar to ethnographic and archaeological threshing sledges have been identified from a number of Early and Middle Neolithic sites. In this communication, we present the result of their study, including raw-material, technological, and traceological analysis. In order to provide a stronger assessment of the nature of the observed use-wear traces a quantitative comparison with ethnographic and experimental use-wear traces is carried out by integrating confocal microscopy. Despite the low number of recorded artifacts, obtained results suggest that threshing boards were in use since early phases of the Neolithic in Greece.

Peer reviewed