7. Domestic Architecture in the Northern Aegean:the Evidence from the ancient settlement of Karabournaki

Aim of this paper is to present the domestic features of the ancient settlement located at Karabournaki in North Aegean. The site, placed on the top of a mound above the Thermaic Gulf, includes a settlement, harbor and cemeteries. It should be identified with a part of ancient Therma. Geometric and particularly Archaic times, appear to be the flourishing periods of Karabournaki, which should had gotten an “international” character due to its trading activities. The preserved structures point rather to a permanent occupation with stone built Greek in type, Archaic in date, houses. Except for the purely domestic activities, the findings indicate active workshops for metal-working and ceramics. Its chief attribute, however, is the beehive-shaped semi-subterranean constructions. As for the population of the settlement, there are certainly Greeks there at least from the Archaic period onwards, but the possibility to have a mixed population with also Thracian inhabitants cannot be rejected