A 6,200-year-old settlement discovered in Greece was surrounded by a double ring of protective ditches, revealing how early farming communities planned for security and environmental threats. New research shows that Paradimi, a prehistoric settlement in Greek Thrace, was also founded earlier than archaeologists previously believed.
Archaeologist Dushka Urem-Kotsou led the study. Researchers combined radiocarbon dating, geophysical mapping, geological analysis and earlier excavation records to reconstruct the settlement’s age and layout.
Their findings suggest that Paradimi was established before 6200 B.C. The settlement later expanded beyond its original center, while residents added new ditches around the growing community.
New dating pushes Paradimi further into the past
Paradimi lies about 6 kilometers (3,7 miles) southwest of Komotini in northeastern Greece. Archaeologists have studied the site for decades and previously linked most of its occupation to the Middle and Late Neolithic periods. The new study points to a much earlier beginning.
Researchers collected sediment cores from different parts of the settlement. Radiocarbon analysis dated one of the deepest known occupation layers to between 6223 and 6078 B.C.
However, the team found about 30 centimeters (aprox of human-made deposits beneath the dated sample. That means people may have settled at Paradimi even earlier than the radiocarbon result indicates.
The evidence makes Paradimi one of the earliest known farming settlements in Greek Thrace. It may also be older than nearby prehistoric communities such as Makri and Krovili.
Hidden ditches reveal a planned settlement
Geophysical surveys allowed researchers to examine features buried beneath the ground without carrying out large excavations. The surveys revealed several curved ditches around the raised center of the settlement. At least two main rings appear to have surrounded the inhabited area.
Archaeologists found that the 6,200-year-old settlement of Paradimi was surrounded by a double ring of protective ditches, which may have helped defend the community and reduce flood risks. The study also shows the settlement is older than previously believed. pic.twitter.com/FcQfZadCiy
— Tom Marvolo Riddle (@tom_riddle2025) July 23, 2026
As Paradimi grew toward the south and southwest, residents built additional ditches around the newer sections. This created a double enclosure that changed with the settlement over time. Building the ditches would have required organized labor. Residents had to plan their position, remove large amounts of soil, and maintain the structures.
The scale of the work suggests that Paradimi was not a loosely organized group of homes. It was a coordinated community capable of carrying out major shared projects.
Ditches may have protected residents from floods
Researchers cannot say with certainty that the ditches were built only for defense. Similar enclosures have been found at Neolithic settlements across Greece, the Balkans and Central Europe. Archaeologists have proposed several explanations for them.
Some may have blocked attackers or animals. Others may have marked the settlement’s boundaries or separated different areas of community life. At Paradimi, the ditches may also have helped control water.
The settlement stood on a river plain shaped by streams and changing water channels. Geological evidence from sediment cores shows that flooding occurred in the surrounding area.
The ditches may therefore have redirected water away from homes during heavy rainfall or river flooding. They may have served several purposes at once, including defense, drainage and boundary marking.
Early farmers reshaped the landscape
Paradimi’s residents did not simply adapt to the natural landscape. They changed it. The settlement’s location provided access to water, farmland and routes leading toward the northern Aegean coast. However, the same location also exposed the community to flooding.
By digging rings of ditches around the settlement, residents may have created a safer and more controlled living space. The site now lies about 15 kilometers from the sea. Still, shells recovered at Paradimi show that its residents maintained connections with coastal areas.
The evidence supports the idea that early farming communities first developed along the coast of Thrace before gradually moving further inland. Paradimi may have formed part of that wider spread of agriculture across the northern Aegean region.
The study presents Paradimi as older, larger and more carefully organized than previously understood. Its double ring of protective ditches shows that early farmers were already working together to manage security, water and settlement growth more than 8,000 years ago.
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