Sessions

Session 1. Old Stones, New Tricks: Innovative Approaches to the Study of Lithics

Organiser: Dylan Jones, University of Liverpool

Email: D.Jones16@liverpool.ac.uk

The analysis of lithics underpins how we infer behavioural and cultural variability in the Palaeolithic record. As the research develops across various archaeological paradigm shifts, not only does our understanding of this variability change, but so do the methods we adopt. The Palaeolithic archaeological record seldom provides alternative mediums for understanding the past, and so it is paramount that we continue to optimise the quantity and quality of information that we can extract from the abundance of lithic artefacts and assemblages at our disposal. In order to avoid epistemological dead-ends, it is crucial that we innovate and refine our analytical techniques. This session invites speakers from any level of their academic career to present research which offers innovative approaches to the study of lithics. This may include, but is not limited to: advances in analytical methodologies, new means of contributing to old debates, and novel conceptualisations of lithic technology.

Session 2. Use-Wear Analysis: Methodology, Case Studies and New Approaches

Organisers: Alice La Porta, University of Manchester and Felipe Do Nascimento Rodrigues, University of Exeter

Email: alice.laporta@manchester.ac.uk; fd274@exeter.ac.uk

Since the beginning of the discipline, use-wear analysis has developed into an important methodological tool for reconstructing the technological, functional, economical, and symbolic behaviours of prehistoric populations. Therefore, we invite presentations that integrate the application of use-wear methodologies (use-wear and residues) in different regional and chronological contexts by presenting archaeological or experimental case studies that address specific research questions. We also welcome topics that focus on developing new multidisciplinary approaches to the discipline (e.g. different raw materials, trace quantification, and experimentation, but not limited to these). We particularly encourage students and early career researchers as we consider this session an excellent opportunity to expand the use-wear analysis network in the UK and beyond through presentations and open discussion.

Session 3. Experimental Archaeology: Novel Approaches to Science and Public Engagement in the Palaeolithic

Organiser: Kiefer Duffy, Durham University

Email: kiefer.r.duffy@durham.ac.uk

Experimental archaeology is a powerful tool to use in exploring ideas about ancient life. Research in this area routinely gives valuable and novel insights into ancient lives. This session will showcase the ways researchers are developing novel ways of exploring archaeologically opaque areas of the Palaeolithic, like art, language, and social behaviour through practical activity. There is scope for methodological creativity whilst at the same time ensuring hypotheses can be verified by quantifiable, replicable experiment. Experimental archaeology also offers a tangible way for the public, as participants, to both experience and contribute to the study of ancient life. This session will highlight how researchers are involving the public in research and how this enriches the understanding of the past by academia and society at large. Overall, these discussions will demonstrate the diversity of approaches and cross-domain utility of incorporating practical, experimental elements to archaeological investigations of the Palaeolithic.

Session 4. New Insights in Cognitive Evolution

Organisers: Carys Phillips and Harry Hall, University of Liverpool

Email: Carys.Phillips@liverpool.ac.uk; H.Hall@liverpool.ac.uk

By studying the cognitive capabilities, behaviour, and culture of humans, our ancestors, and our closest phylogenetic relatives, we can identify what makes our species so uniquely intelligent, and what makes us similar to our primate relatives or hominin ancestors. Examinations of the skeletons of our ancestors and reconstructions of the natural environments in which they lived allows us insights into the environmental, social, and anatomical factors that played their parts in the evolution of human cognition. Furthermore, material objects made by ancient humans provide information on the culture and behaviour of our ancestors, or in some cases, our extinct relatives. With a recent influx of papers on gene-culture coevolution, niche construction theory, and studies into humans as ecological engineers, attention has subsequently landed on the effects of the human niche on our cognitive capacities and how said capabilities evolved. Furthermore, a recent discussion on the co-dependence of culture and cognition (Sterelny 2020) has resulted in enthusiastic discussions concerning the cyclical and interdependent effects of culture, environment, behaviour, and cognition; a subject area that is in dire need of further insight and invites future research.

Session 5. Broadening Our View of Social Life in the Palaeolithic: People, Places, Pets and Materials

Organiser: Taryn Bell, University of York

Email: taryn.bell@york.ac.uk

Our need for social connection is at the very core of what makes us human. The importance of social relationships and bonds cannot be understated; they provide us with a sense of security, belonging and support, all of which are vital to our physical and mental health. Palaeolithic archaeology has long taken an interest in this subject, resulting in a myriad of exciting and ever-evolving approaches to the study of Palaeolithic sociality. However, an increasing number of archaeologists are also recognising that what constitutes a ‘social’ relationship is more broader than originally thought. Animals, landscapes, and objects, for example, can all play significant social roles in human lives, both in the present and in the past. This session will consider new approaches to the study of social life. From new theories and new methodologies to new perspectives, it will consider how we can think about social life in the Palaeolithic, in a way that recognises its true breadth and depth.

Papers for this session may wish to consider (but are not restricted to) one of the following topics:

- The nature of human bonds

- The evolution of sociality

- Changing social landscapes in the Palaeolithic

- Life history and palaeodemography

- Other types of social bonds (for example, animals, places, or objects)

Speakers can choose the format of their presentation: either as a standard 15-minute paper, or a PechaKucha (20 slides, 20 seconds per slide).

Session 6. Exploring New Avenues within Palaeolithic Visual Culture Studies

Organisers: Barbara Oosterwijk and Lisa-Elen Meyering, Durham University

Email: barbara.oosterwijk@durham.ac.uk; lisa-elen.meyering@durham.ac.uk

Visual materials are central to the study of archaeology and the construction of knowledge of the past. By exploring how humans have expressed themselves through visual means across various artistic mediums, we can broaden our understanding of past conceptions of artistic license and identity. As such, this session aims to bring together researchers from across different areas of Palaeolithic studies to discuss and share their current research, in particular novel approaches to investigating visual and material cultures. Specifically, we anticipate discussing multi-disciplinary topics such as understanding archaeological material through the visual psychological lens; using experimental reconstructive work to test certain hypotheses or recreating artistic conventions such as producing hand stencils or projected disks. Our objective is to explore how, why, and when people visually depict and create objects in their surroundings and how this might reflect their understanding of their own identity.

Session 7. Past, Present and Future: Human Evolution in Response to the Environment

Organiser: Lucy Timbrell, University of Liverpool

Email: lucy.timbrell@liverpool.ac.uk

Understanding how the environment has shaped our evolution is a key consideration in human origins research. Recent advances have shown that environmental factors, such as climate and ecological variability, topography, resource abundance and availability have played a key role in mediating patterns of both cultural and anatomical evolution. Moreover, taking an environmental approach is particularly essential considering the current global climate crisis, with anthropology and archaeology offering unique perspectives into deep time human responses to environmental perturbation and catastrophe. Developing innovative approaches are thus vital for a deeper understanding of these complex but crucial relationships between humans and their extrinsic environment. This session invites papers that offer new insights, methods and approaches to the study of human-environment interactions.

Session 8. Biological Anthropology and Palaeoanthropology: New Insights, Methods and Approaches

Organiser: Lisa Genochio, Hull York Medical School/University of York

Email: lisa.genochio@hyms.ac.uk

Hominin morphology provides us with a vital means to understand that which makes us uniquely human, such as bipedalism. What’s more, studying anatomical structures, either within fossil or modern populations, has demonstrated how humans vary through time, space and in relation to environments, providing key insights into processes such as speciation, adaptation and diversity. Recent years have seen innovations in the study of anatomy and morphology with the development of new virtual and analytic tools, which promise to teach us much about the biological evolution of hominins. This session aims to bring together researchers from any stage in their career to discuss new research in biological anthropology and palaeoanthropology. This could include, but is not limited to, papers that present new methodological advances, innovative contributions to key debates and the ways in which ethics should be considered in the study of human remains.