Servia, Greece

Servia (Greek: Σέρβια) is a town in the prefecture of Kozani, Macedonia, Greece. Population 10,001 (2001). Its name derives from that of the Serbs, a people called there by emperor Heraclius of Byzantium in the first half of the VIIth century. Most Serbs remained however in the north where they established the historical nation of Serbia. From 1882-1912, the town of Servia was the capital of the Ottoman sanjak of Serfije, which was part of a Manastır vilayet between 1864-1877. It became a mutasarrifate and included the kazas of Alasonya, Serfije (Servia), Kozani, Kayılar (Ptolemaida), Anaselitsis (Siatista), Grevena, Katerini, and Deskati. Servia was the seat of Servia and Kozani Bishop until 1745. After that year the seat was moved to Kozani. The Greek army entered Servia on 10 October 1912, during the First Balkan War, after its victory against the Ottoman army in the Battle of Sarantaporo. Through Servia passes the Greek National Road 3, which is part of European route E65 and connects Florina and Kozani with Larissa.

Servia has also given its name to the prehistoric settlement site beside the former bridge across the Haliakmon river to the west and now submerged deep below the surface of Lake Polyphytou. This was first reported by Alan John Bayard Wace and first excavated by the British School at Athens under the direction of Walter Heurtley in 1930. Renewed excavations were jointly conducted by the Greek Archaeological Service and the British School at Athens under the direction of Aikaterina Rhomiopoulou and Cressida Ridley between 1971 and 1973 in advance of closure of the Polyphytou hydro-electric dam and flooding the valley to create Lake Polyphytou.

The site is a low mound created by the debris of successive phases of human occupation, starting in the Middle Neolithic period before 5000 BCE. The square or rectangular buildings, one or two storeys in height, were framed with massive oak posts and the walls were created with wattle and daub. The 'classic' red on cream ceramic repertoire of this phase is closely related to that of Thessaly at such sites as Sesklo and Achilleion. Typical shapes are fruitstands, shallow bowls and beakers. Bone and stone tools are frequent while ornaments of stone and sea shell (Spondylus gaederopus and Glycimeris) are quite frequent. Occupation continued for a thousand years until the early stages of the Late Neolithic period, characterised by black burnished and grey-on-grey pottery. Occasional fragments of pottery of other styles, together with occasional pieces of obsidian from Melos show that long distance 'trade' links had been established with coastal Thessaly and Eastern Macedonia. After a long interval, occupation resumed in the Early Bronze Age (3rd millennium BC)when the ceramic repertoire suggests a cultural orientation towards Central Macedonia rather than Thessaly.

Palaeobotanical studies of seeds and other plant remains recovered from all periods at the site and studied by R. Housely and R. Hubbard provide important information about early Greek agricultural practices.