The first of two systematic reports on the more than one million sherds of pottery recovered from the Franchthi Cave in Greece. Over two and a quarter metric tons of pottery were recovered from Neolithic deposits at Franchthi and Paralia which will significantly increase our understanding of Neolithic pottery and Neolithic society in southern Greece. Through the development and application of a new system of ceramic classification, this fascile analyzes the pottery from the earlier Neolithic deposits as a direct reflection of the human behavior that produced it. "A highly innovative study that foregrounds the decision-making and technological choices of Neolithic potters." — Antiquity "Imaginative, rigorous and admirably lucid study." — Journal of Hellenic Studies