Choirokoitia is an archaeological site in the Larnaka district dating from the Neolithic Age (5.000 BC). The Neolithic period is represented by this settlement and around 20 other similar settlements spread throughout the island. It was listed as a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 1988 and is known as one of the most important and best preserved prehistoric sites of the eastern Mediterranean. The settlement of Choirokoitia is situated on the slope of a hill in the valley of the Maroni River, towards the southern coast of Cyprus around 6 km from the sea. Much of its importance lies in the evidence of an organized functional society in the form of a collective settlement, with surrounding fortifications for communal protection.