Grava Gardikiou

Grava Gardikiou ( Corfu) ,archaeological site located in the southern foothills of Mount AG. Matthew with great views. It has a span of 20 m. and a height of 13 m.It was a base of hunters and gatherers and is considered one of the most important places of the prehistoric era in Greece.    Grava is a cave very close to the Byzantine Fortress of Gardiki. It has a stunning view to South Corfu. The first indications of human presence in Corfu are stone tools and objects found in the cave-Grava Gardikiou, near Agios Matthaios and dated to the Paleolithic era (30,000 to 10,000 P.Allah.). At that time the level of the Seas was much lower and Corfu was not an island but connected with mainland Greece. Separation from Epirus occurred during the Neolithic period (10,000-8,000 p.Allah.) when, with the melting of the ice sea levels rose. Finds from this period were found in a settlement near Sidari. Settlements from the Bronze Age (2,000 p.Allah.) have been found near Afionas (Porto helm) and Ermones.Grava was a base of hunters and gatherers, very close to the great source of Gardiki. It is a rock roof whose roof has undergone gradual erosion and massive precipitation. The cave occupies a key position, supervising the surrounding lowlands and spring waters of Gardiki. Today it has a horizontal length of 20m and a height of 13m. The cave is located at an altitude of 50m. above the sea and has a wonderful view to the whole southern part of the island.Among other things, a habitation floor was discovered dating to the final stages of the Upper Paleolithic era, around 20,000 BC. During the excavations they also found tools made of Flint, bones of animals, such as Boars, roe deer and deer, bone bead and two tiles with ochre remains. Findings of these excavations can be found in the Archaeological Museum of Corfu.The findings are placed chronologically in the Upper Paleolithic period, i.e. at 20.000-13.000 years before today.