Helicopter view of the site of Aktrotiti-/\eto/</-emnos in southern Cyprus. September 1988. pnoio by sieve o hsu 



over 15 years ago at the contemporary north coast 

 archaeological site of Akanthou-Arkos^ilco, not too far 

 from two known fossil mammal sites. The question is 

 whether the animals producing these two hones were 

 contemporary with the archaeological site or were later 

 picked up already fossilized hy a Neolithic collector. 



Recent reexamination of one of the caves at Cape 

 Pyla may he more similar to the Akrotiri finds. Here in 

 the summer of 1988 my colleagues and I found Pha- 

 nourios hones, hurnt bone fragments, Monodonta 



shells, charcoal, and some chipped stone pieces. 



The discoveries at Akrotiri make it an exciting 

 time for Cypriot archaeology. The ramifications of our 

 wt)rk have major implications for early prehistoric 

 archaeology well beyond Cyprus. Once we understand 

 what is happening at Akrotiri we can use it as a model 

 for trying to explain the extinction of the endemic 

 faunas of t)ther Mediterranean islands as well as the 

 reasons and evidence for early human seafaring in the 

 Mediterranean Basin. FH 



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