Session 1
The Lower Palaeolithic in Central Europe. Earliest evidences and the discussion about pseudo-artefacts
Coordinators: Marcel Weiß, Andrzej Wiśniewski and Aleksander Otcherednoy
The session aims to discuss the current research about the Lower Palaeolithic in Central Europe.
In the first part of the session, we would like to discuss the emergence and timing of the Lower Palaeolithic in Central Europe. As part of this session, we also welcome presentations about newly discovered sites. Additionally, we would like to discuss the Lower to Middle Palaeolithic transition in the region.
The second part aims to discuss the problematic of geofacts and pseudo-Lower Paleolithic sites. Until today, the question of pseudo-artefacts is still relevant: in the last two decades a lot of Central European sites containing pseudo-artefacts were published as reliable evidence for Lower Paleolithic occupations. In this regard, we especially like to consider methodologies for the evaluation of sites with respect to geofacts.
Session 2
Inter-group contacts in the Late Palaeolithic
Coordinator: Iwona Sobkowiak-Tabaka
In the Late Palaeolithic, flint processing traditions survived for hundreds of years. This phenomenon indicates that technology might have been transmitted as cultural knowledge due to the existence of a wide and active network between societies. Depending on the period and societies related to various taxonomic units, flint workers relied predominately on local raw materials or imported some of their resources. The provenance of lithic raw materials is usually used by archaeologists to investigate distribution paths, mobility, exchange and contacts between prehistoric communities. The same role may be played by special forms of artefacts, especially projectile points which are usually seen as type de fossile for taxonomic entities.
Our main interest will be focused on cross-cultural interactions observed both in flint processing and raw material distribution. We would like to explore the meaning of technological and typological differences in assemblages attributable to a given taxonomic unit and to consider all possible reasons behind the differences, starting with cultural traditions, through individual skills of flint workers to material constraints.
Session 3
Borders in the Mesolithic? Interactions and cultural changes as seen from lithics
Coordinators: Dominik K. Płaza, Damian Stefański and Aliaksandr Vashanau
Mesolithic is defined as the non-agrarian or para-agrarian adaptation of human culture to existence under the Holocene climatic conditions. The chronological framework starts from the middle of the Preboreal when the late Pleistocene tradition disintegrated. The end of this process is blurred as the hunter-gather Mesolithic societies enter into complex relationships to the Neolithic farmers. The Mesolithic over the vast area of Europe (Asia?) was of different origins and it was subject to different rhythms. From one hand a clear differences in lithic production characteristic for different traditions are well visible, from the other hand intercultural influences were important factor unifying a typology and technology across distant entities.
We would like to invite you to unlimited discussion about the borders in Mesolithic studies. It can be perceived as cultural boundaries (in spatial, as well as chronological sense) that can be read from the perspective of lithic analysis, but also as a methodological limitation, a regionalisation of studies or different definitions that affect our understanding of this phenomenon.
Session 4
Lithic technology in the Neolithic and beyond
Coordinator: Janusz Budziszewski
By the millennia from the Neolithic to the modern times lithic artifacts were used in different ways. Various were methods of raw material supply, processing techniques, distribution systems and using of final products. This session calls for contributions that focus on the following research issues:
– raw material sourcing and supply (from simple nodule collecting to mining techniques);
– lithic production and processing techniques;
– forms of lithic artifacts;
– distribution systems and organization (evidence of recognizable networks).
Interesting case studies, analytical procedures and results, as well as conceptualizing studies are warmly welcomed.
Session 5
Different regions and cultures – different lithic tool-kits?
Coordinator: Katarzyna Pyżewicz
The proposed session is related to the issues concerning on the production and usage of lithic tools. During the discussion we will focus on artifacts dated to the Stone Age or Bronze Age and even beyond these periods. The main questions which we would like to answer concern the ways of preparing, hafting and using individual lithics, as well as tool-kits. Are there any similarities and differences in the treatment of flint specimens depending on the geographical region? How were the individual formal tools and debitage products used during the chronological periods and among the archaeological cultures? During the discussion, we would like to consider the reasons for differentiation in the treatment of lithic tools - is this due to different traditions among past societies, non-utilitarian contexts, etc., or is it associated only with the functional purposes?
We would like to encourage to the submission the oral presentations and posters dedicated to the technological and use-wear analysis as well as spatial analysis, studies related to the individual inventories, as well as focusing on general issues linked to function of lithics among the past communities.
Session 6
Siliceous rocks used by prehistoric communities: places of extraction, desirable kinds, methods of obtaining
Coordinators: Vitali Asheichyk and Dagmara H. Werra
The raw material aspect is a significant part of studies on the prehistoric lithic technologies. Accessibility and physical properties of different kinds of knappable rocks along with cultural traditions directly influenced stone tools making. They might affect both the morphology and technological process when producing lithic artifacts. Raw material procurement strategies themselves were the part of complex economic, social and cultural systems of prehistoric societies. Artifacts made of various kinds of siliceous rocks found at archaeological sites give to archaeologist insights into long distance distribution, exchange networks and mobility patterns during prehistory.
Therefore, the issues in the session’s topic seems to be of great importance in the context of lithic studies. We encourage all the interested to join the discussion on these issues with conceptual papers as well as case studies.
Session 7
General remarks on the lithic technologies
Coordinators: the organizers
In this session, presentations and posters will be mostly oriented toward the general lithic topics. Here can be presented approaches, which are essential for the acquisition of detailed information that allows us to describe accurately each raw material and to link them between the archaeological site, its natural source and the ways how they were processed. Simultaneously are welcome papers gathering information from the archaeological context and compared with hypothesis and models from actualistic studies, such as ethno-archaeology.
Therefore, we propose an open session where we would like to bring together presentations that do not fit in thematic sessions. Our goal is to reach closer the point of view of prehistoric communities, their behavior, lithic and social network.