"DISPILIO - Prefecture of Kastoria" Dhispilion by StefanosS

Alternative scriptures:
Dhispilio(n), Dispilio(n)

The traces of human presence in the region of Kastoria are lost back to prehistory. 7,500 years ago a group of people chose the south bank of the lake of Kastoria to build with wood and clay a village in or very close to the lake. The archaeological research brought to life a lake settlement which is dated since 5,000 BC and a lot of archaeological findings that disclose the broader cultural development of the region throughout the centuries.

The lake settlement of Dispilio was accidentally discovered in 1932 by the University professor Mr. A. Keramopoulos. The excavations started in 1992 by the team of the professor of prehistoric archaeology of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Mr. G. Ch. Chourmouziadis. The findings of the excavation researches provide us with very significant information about the life of the inhabitants of that region. One can easily see the remarkable know-how of the people of that age, in fishing, hunting, land cultivation with advanced - for that age - tools of stone or bone and in the construction of wooden residents (huts) at the shores of the lake.

At the place of the works and according to the findings a park with a natural representation of part of the prehistoric settlement has been constructed. The Lake Settlement Museum of Dispilio goes beyond the limits of a conventional archaeological exhibition and transforms the archaeological information to a place where one can experience it. In an area of 20,000 square meters that represents the ecosystem of the lake settlement, the visitor has the possibility to walk on the wooden platforms of the village, to see the households of the 6th millennium BC and to feel closer the life of the Neolithic inhabitants. The representation is surrounded by a reception hall and recreation area (under construction).