New discovery of an early Cyprus preceramic Neolithic (late 9th, early 8thmillennia cal. BC), related to the Early/Middle PPNB of the northern Levant.

The recent discovery of Parekklisha-Shillourokambos, an Aceramic Neolithic settlement dating to the late 9th and the 8th millennia cal. BC, pushes bac k the appearance of the Neolithic in Cyprus by a millennium. This insular e arly Aceramic Neolithic culture has much in common with the PPNB in the nor thern Levant, which now appears to have spread from its point of origin ear lier than previously supposed, and it occurred even before animal husbandry had brought about morphological changes in hearded caprovids. From the mid dle of the 8th to the early 7th millennium BC, the Cypriot Neolithic slowly evolved into what would become known as the Aceramic Neolithic Khirokitia culture. (C) 2000 Academie des sciences / Editions scientifiques et medical es Elsevier SAS.