Prehistoric Rhayna (Pacifica)

Prehistoric Rhayna or Prehistoric Moellia is the period between the Palaeolithic and the emergence of writing and metal working in the area of Moellia, limited by the Cordilian Sea to the west, the Eastern Cordilian Desert to the east, Northern Prostasia and Northern Defteros to the north, and Southern Prostasia and Southern Defteros to the south.

The condition of archaeological remains in Moellia range from excellent in the interior of the country and in the arid deserts of Rhayna and Alla-gy, to greatly deteriorated near water sources like coasts and rivers, which makes the investigation of the history of some places specially challenging.

The Lower Palaeolithic witnessed the emergence of a population of Homo erectus hunter-gatherers who lived in the caves of the Prostasia range and Mt. Atzali, and in numerous open-air sites near water sources in Rhayna. They were producers of a lithic industry of the Acheulean type, and the funerary remains, found in the cave of Apamea, indicate the existence of solidarity and the practice of healing between the members of a group.

During the upper Palaeolithic, Moellia was probably occupied by modern man. The Apamea cave presents signs of all three lithic periods and lithic industries of Homo erectus, Homo sapiens, and a possible subspecies of Homo heidelbergensis.

The early Neolithic period saw the appearance of the first hearths, pestles, and large millstones following the arrival of agriculture to the region, indicating the start of sedentarization and settlement in permanent villages, which was quickly adopted. Representations of the skulls of different animals and preservations of these have also been found in this archaeologic settlements, among these the skulls of black vultures, mountain goats, camels, among others.