ิhe land and sea formations in the area of Modern Greece and the Aegean Sea were different to what we are familiar with today. The geomorphology of the area was constantly changing, as a result of geological changes that took place on our planet millions of years before the present (BP). As well as geomorphological changes there were also climatic changes that further determined the kind and behaviour of every form of life: fauna, flora and Man. During the geological period of the Miocene, about 30 millions years BP, Aegaeis rose from the depths of what we call today the Mediterranean sea. It was a single land mass which contained the modern Balkan peninsula, the Aegean and Asia Minor and extended from the Adriatic sea to Crete.






Towards the end of the Miocene, approximately 5 millions years BP, submersions and elevations took place with the result that huge masses of water penetrated this vast land, forming a part of the Aegean and large interior lakes.


During the Pleistocene (Ice Age Period), and in particular 400,000 years BP, many of the islands of today were parts of the same land (e.g. the Cyclades) or belonged to the Modern Greek mainland (e.g. the Sporades, islands of the northern and eastern Aegean), since the sea-level was 200 metres lower than it is today. During this period, which corresponds to the Palaeolithic Period, the greater part of the Greek mainland was covered by dense forests. Greece was occupied by Neanderthal Man at this time as well as by the following animal species: mammoth, cave bear, elephant and pygmy elephant, hippopotamus, cervidae, equidae and bovids.



During the Holocene (Postglacial Period), and in particular 9,000 years BP, the sea-level rose by 30 metres. The Aegean by this stage had almost acquired its modern form and was characterized by warm climatic conditions, favouring permanent installation. Differences are observed only in the development of the shorelines, being the result of fluctuating sea-levels and earthquake phenomena taking place during the last millennia. The Early and Middle Holocene culturally corresponds to the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods and to the Copper Age.