Editing Meteora (section)

===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.<ref name="Radiocarbon">Y. Facorellis, N. Kyparissi-Apostolika and Y. Maniatis 2001 The cave of Theopetra, Kalambaka: radiocarbon evidence f ''Radiocarbon'' '''43''' (2B): 1029–48</ref><ref>[http://www.reviewhype.com/viral/oldest-known-man-made-structure-found-in-greece] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141206004238/http://www.reviewhype.com/viral/oldest-known-man-made-structure-found-in-greece|date=6 December 2014}}</ref>

Meteora is not mentioned in classical [[Greek mythology|Greek myths]], nor in [[Ancient Greek literature]]. The first people who were documented to inhabit Meteora after the [[Neolithic Era]] were an [[asceticism|ascetic]] group of [[hermit]] monks who, in the 800s CE, moved up to the ancient [[pinnacle]]s. They lived in [[wikt:hollow|hollows]] and [[fissures]] in the rock towers, some of them as high as 1800&nbsp;ft (550m) 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]].<ref name="meteora"/>

As early as the eleventh century, monks occupied the caverns of Meteora. However, monasteries were not built there until the 1300s, when the monks sought somewhere to hide in the face of an increasing number of attacks by the Turks upon [[Greece]].<ref name=":4"/><ref name=":5">"[https://www.kalampaka.com/en/meteora-monasteries/monastery-of-saint-nicholas-anapafsas/ Holy Monastery of Saint Nicholas Anapafsas]." ''Kalampaka.com'', 10 July 2016.</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Meteora |url=https://www.beautifulworld.com/europe/greece/meteora/ |access-date=2016-09-27 |website=www.beautifulworld.com}}</ref>