To reconstruct the evolution of early anthropogenic impact in the Aegean Sea region, we determined changes in lead (Pb) contents and evaluated vegetation dynamics in environmental records from heterogeneous settings. Whereas Pb pollution first occurs in the northern borderlands of the Aegean Sea at c. 5,200 cal. years BP, it rises above natural background levels in marine sediments across the Aegean Sea synchronously at c. 2,150 cal. years BP. This first manifestation of marine pollution coincides with maximum deforestation and agricultural expansion in the Aegean region, signalling pervasive human impact on terrestrial and marine ecosystems connected to the advanced monetized societies during the Hellenistic and Roman periods in Ancient Greece.