The archaeological site

Archaeological site

An archaeological site is a place in which evidence of past activity is preserved , and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology and represents a part of the archaeological record.Beyond this, the definition and geographical extent of a 'site' can vary widely,...

 of Mitrou is located on a tidal islet

Tidal island

A tidal island is a piece of land that is connected to the mainland by a natural or man-made causeway that is exposed at low tide and submerged at high tide. Because of the mystique surrounding tidal islands many of them have been sites of religious worship, such as Mont Saint Michel with its...

 in the Gulf of Atalanti

Gulf of Euboea

The Gulf of Euboea, Euboean Gulf, Euboic Sea or Euboic Gulf is an arm of the Aegean Sea between the island of Euboea and the Greek mainland . Trending diagonally northwest-southeast, the gulf is divided by the narrow Strait of Euripus, at the town of Chalcis...

, in East Lokris

Opuntian Locris

Opuntian Locris or Eastern Locris was an ancient Greek region inhabited by the eastern division of the Locrians, the so-called tribe of the Locri Epicnemidii or Locri Opuntii .-Geography:...

 in Central Greece

Central Greece

Continental Greece or Central Greece , colloquially known as Roúmeli , is a geographical region of Greece. Its territory is divided into the administrative regions of Central Greece, Attica, and part of West Greece...

. Excavation of the site is conducted under the direction of the American School of Classical Studies, and as of 2007 is ongoing.

Finds from surface survey indicate human presence already in the Neolithic

Neolithic

The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...

 period; occupation continues throughout the Bronze Age

Bronze Age

The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...

 and into the Early Iron Age

Iron Age

The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...

. In addition to the settlement, burials dating to the Bronze and Early Iron Ages have been found close to the settlement. Part of the site's importance derives from the apparently continuous habitation here after the end of the Mycenaean palatial Bronze Age

Mycenaean Greece

Mycenaean Greece was a cultural period of Bronze Age Greece taking its name from the archaeological site of Mycenae in northeastern Argolis, in the Peloponnese of southern Greece. Athens, Pylos, Thebes, and Tiryns are also important Mycenaean sites...

, with no gap apparent between the post-palatial Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age. This situation is mirrored in other Central Greek sites, such as Lefkandi

Lefkandi

Lefkandi is a coastal village on the island of Euboea. Archaeological finds attest to a settlement on the promontory locally known as Xeropolis, while several associated cemeteries have been identified nearby. The settlement site is located on a promontory overlooking the Euripos, with small bays...

, Kalapodi

Kalapodi

Kalapodi is a village in the Lokroi municipality, Phthiotis, Central Greece. The name also denotes an archaeological site ca. 1 km east of the village, where an ancient sanctuary was discovered. Cult activity here seems to have begun in the late Bronze Age and continued without break into the...

, Elateia

Elateia

Elateia was an ancient Greek city of Phocis, and the most important place in that region after Delphi. It is also a modern-day town that is a former municipality in the southeastern part of Phthiotis. Since the 2011 local government reform, it is a municipal unit of the municipality...

, and Pyrgos Livanaton/Kynos

Kynos

Kynos is an ancient settlement site with finds of the Bronze and Early Iron Age,which was discovered on the edge of the town of Livanates in Central Greece. The archaeological site is thus also referred to as Pyrgos Livanaton. The coastal site, overlooking the Euripos and neighbouring Euboea, has...

.