Khirokitia, also written Choirokoitia, is a Neolithic settlement in the south of Cyprus, which was inhabited from around the 7th millennium BCE. The villagers lived in round houses built from stone and mud brick, with flat roofs, on a hillside surrounded by a wall. They farmed, kept sheep and goats, hunted deer and made stone vessels, but they did not yet make pottery. The dead were buried under the floors of the houses, with offerings. It is one of the best-preserved prehistoric sites in the eastern Mediterranean, and it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1998.
Before and after
- c. 7,350s BCEConstruction of Cueva de las Manos
- from c. 7,101 BCE to 5,701 BCECatalhoyuk grows into a large Neolithic town
- from c. 7,090s BCE to 4,950s BCEOrigins of Jarmo
- 8th millennium BCEOrigins of Athens
- from 8th millennium BCE to 4th millennium BCEOrigins of Khirokitia
- 8th millennium BCEDiscovery of copper
- 71st century BCEMaize is domesticated in Mexico
- 71st century BCERice is domesticated in the Yangtze valley
- from c. 7,000 BCE to 586 BCEConstruction of Tel Megiddo
More in Civilizations & archaeology
- 86th century BCESheep, goats and cattle are domesticated
- from 7th millennium BCE to 2nd millennium BCEUgarit
- from 56th century BCE to 35th century BCEUbaid period
- c. 4,000 BCEOrigins of Thinis
- from c. 4,000 BCE to 3,100 BCEUruk period
- from c. 3,300 BCE to 1982Origins of Qatna
The era
This moment belongs to the Human prehistory (300,000 years ago to 3,200 BCE), the human story before writing.