The volcanic islet of Gyali constitutes a palimpsest of cultures thanks to its successive occupation during prehistory, already from the Final Neolithic period (4th millennium BC), through antiquity and into more recent times. Numerous fragments of Neolithic vessels are scattered across the entire surface of the island, and not only at locations where structures have been identified.
The abundance of the island’s available natural resources would have been what attracted Neolithic populations, who had also identified the presence of local obsidian sources—a type of stone from which they manufactured tools. The obsidian from Gyali, in comparison with the more widely used obsidian of the period from Melos, had very limited use in the Aegean and Crete during both the Neolithic period and the Bronze Age. This was due to its quality: it is more brittle, contains grains of volcanic ash, is translucent, and cannot be knapped and worked with the same ease. Nevertheless, Neolithic craftspeople on Gyali did manufacture certain tools from this material.
A preliminary examination and analysis of Neolithic pottery from Gyali showed that local obsidian is also present within the clay, which initially confirms the existence of local ceramic production. It also showed that the obsidian inclusions were deliberately added to the clay and not used in all vessels. Therefore, there was some specific intention—possibly related to the durability of the containers—that justifies this practice.
