Archaeology Theopetra Cave is located from
Kalambaka. Its uniqueness from an archeological perspective is that a single site contains records of two greatly significant cultural transitions: the replacement of
Neanderthals by modern humans and later, the transition from hunting-gathering to farming after the end of the last
Ice Age. The cave consists of an immense rectangular chamber at the foot of a limestone hill, which rises to the northeast above the village of Theopetra, with an entrance wide by high. It lies at the foot of the Chasia mountain range, which forms the natural boundary between Thessaly and
Macedonia regions, while the Lithaios River, a tributary of the
Pineios River, flows in front of the cave. The small Lithaios River flowing literally on the doorsteps of the cave meant that cave dwellers always had easy access to fresh, clean water without the need to cover daily long distances to find it.
Ancient history Caves in the vicinity of Meteora were inhabited continuously between 50,000 and 5,000 years ago. The oldest known example of a built structure, a stone wall that blocked two-thirds of the entrance to the
Theopetra cave, was constructed 23,000 years ago, probably as a barrier against cold winds (Earth was experiencing an
ice age at the time), and many
paleolithic and
neolithic artifacts of human occupation have been found within the caves. Meteora is not mentioned in classical
Greek myths, nor in
Ancient Greek literature. The first people who were documented to inhabit Meteora after the
Neolithic Era were an
ascetic group of
hermit monks who, in the 800s
CE, moved up to the ancient
pinnacles. They lived in
hollows and
fissures in the rock towers, some of them as high as above the plain. This great height, combined with the sheerness of the cliff walls, kept away all but the most determined visitors. Initially, the hermits led a life of solitude, meeting only on Sundays and special days, to worship and pray in a chapel built at the foot of a rock known as
Dupiani. At this time, access to the top was via removable ladders or hoisting ropes. Currently, getting up there is much simpler, due to steps having been carved-into the rock during the 1920s. Of the 24 monasteries, only six (four of men, two of women) are still functioning, with each housing fewer than ten individuals.
History and construction of the monasteries The exact date of the establishment of the monasteries is widely believed to be unknown. However, there are clues to when each of the monasteries was constructed. By the late 11th century and early 1100s, a rudimentary monastic state had formed, called the
Skete of
Stagoi, and it was centered around the still-standing church of
Theotokos (Mother of God). The creation of the monastic community at Meteora was protected and sponsored by the local lord
Simeon Uroš, based in nearby
Trikala, who in 1356 had proclaimed himself
Emperor of Serbs and Greeks following the death of
Stefan Dušan. Simeon Uroš was succeeded in 1370 by his son
John Uroš, who three years later retired as a monk to the Meteoron monastery and died there in the early 1420s. At the end of the 14th century, Christian rule over northern Greece was being increasingly threatened by Turkish raiders who wanted control over the fertile plain of Thessaly, which they finally secured in the second half of the 15th century. The hermit monks, seeking a retreat from the expanding
Ottoman Empire, found the inaccessible rock pillars of Meteora to be an ideal refuge. More than 20 monasteries were built, In the words of UNESCO: "The net in which intrepid pilgrims were hoisted up vertically alongside the cliff where the Varlaam monastery dominates the valley symbolizes the fragility of a traditional way of life that is threatened with extinction." Until the 1600s, the primary means of conveying goods and people from these high places was by means of baskets and ropes. Under the
1881 Convention of Constantinople,
Thessaly was taken-over by the
Kingdom of Greece. In 1921,
Queen Marie of Romania visited Meteora, becoming the first woman ever allowed to enter the Great Meteoron monastery. In the 1920s, there was an improvement in the arrangements: Steps were cut into the rock, making the complex accessible via a bridge from the nearby plateau. During
World War II, the site was bombed. ==The monasteries of Meteora==