Before cities, before temples and theatres, came the first villages. Some of the oldest in Europe are in Magnesia, a few minutes from Volos: Sesklo and Dimini.
Sesklo
Sesklo is one of the oldest organised settlements on the continent. The people who lived here farmed the land, raised animals and made pottery with distinctive decoration. It is so important that it gave its name to an entire culture of the Neolithic period, the "Sesklo culture".
Dimini
Younger than Sesklo, Dimini is known for its layout: concentric enclosures around a central space point to a community with a plan and with rules. Finds from later periods have also been found in the same area, showing how continuous human presence here has been.
Why they matter
In these settlements you can see the moment when people stopped moving and stayed put: they built houses, organised communities, became villages. Everything we record today in the villages of Thessaly has its roots here.
Visiting
Both archaeological sites are close to Volos. Finds from them are on display at the Archaeological Museum of Volos, well worth combining with the visit.
Opening hours and tickets are announced by the local Ephorate of Antiquities. See also our practical guide to Sesklo and Dimini.
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