Neolithic society in northern Greece : the evidence of ground stone artefacts.

Analysis of ground stone technology from the Neolithic of Greece rarely goes beyond incomplete descriptive accounts to focus on the activities performed with these tools and the contexts of their use. Ground stone products are seen as mundane static objects devoid of meaning and lacking significance. The aim of this thesis is to move away from incomplete accounts of ground stone technology and static typologies. Drawing upon the concepts of the chaine operatoire and 'object biographies' this thesis investigates ground stone technology as a social practice focusing on the life-cycle of artefacts from raw material selection to final deposition. The underlying premise is that a contextual approach can contribute to understanding the ways in which the production, consumption and discard of ground stone artefacts were structured within different forms and scales of social practice and the manner in which these differences articulated different meanings and social understandings. The aims of the thesis were materialised through the study of the rich ground stone assemblage from the LN settlement of Makriyalos, Greece. The analysis of the chaine operatoire of the Makriyalos ground stone assemblage revealed diverse technological choices expressed throughout the cycle of production and use. Established traditions existed according to which specific materials were considered to be appropriate for the production of different objects. Furthermore, detailed analysis suggests that the resulting objects were far from mundane artefacts but were instead active media for expressing choices informed by cultural understandings of appropriateness. Building upon analysis of the chaine operatoire, spatial analysis of the Makriyalos assemblage indicated distinct depositional patterns of different categories of ground stone within and between the two phases of Makriyalos. This analysis offers significant insights into the way(s) these implements were incorporated into the social life of Makriyalos. Ultimately, the thesis demonstrates that ground stone artefacts were actively employed in the creation and negotiation of varied and distinct identities (individual vs. communal) that could be transformed through different contexts of practice

10. Ground stone technologies at the Bronze Age settlement of Sissi

1. Introduction The first study season of the Sissi ground stone assemblage commenced in June 2011 and focused mainly on material recovered during the 2010 excavation campaign, but also on a small number of objects recovered during the 2011 campaign. In total, 276 objects were studied, 73 of which exhibit no manufacturing or use wear and thus have not been included in the following analysis. The remaining 203 objects were recorded in detail in terms of technological characteristics and wear p..

Unravelling ground stone life histories> the spatial organization of stone tools and human activities at LN Makriyalos, Greece

Unlike previous studies of ground stone technology in the Greek Neolithic, this paper follows a more contextualised approach by looking at contexts of deposition of ground stone from Late Neolithic Makriyalos, Northern Greece. The patterns attested in the distribution of ground stone objects between domestic and communal areas will be discussed in terms of the spatial and social contexts of tool use, curation and deposition, contributing to wider discussions about the way acts of production, consumption and discard were structured within different contexts of social practice.Ta članek se, v nasprotju s prejšnjimi študijami tehnologije brusov v grškem neolitiku, ukvarja z depozicijskimi konteksti mlajšeneolitskih brusov iz Makriyalosa v severni Grčiji. Vzorce distribucij brusov med družinskimi in komunalnimi območji analiziramo z vidika prostorskih in socialnih kontekstov uporabe ter hranjenja orodij. Razpravljamo o tem, kako so bili produkcija, potrošnja in odpad strukturirani v kontekstov različnih socialnih praks

9. Bio-archaeological Assemblages and Ground Stone Artefacts

1. Introduction Integral to the excavation on the Kefali hill at Sissi has been the systematic collection of ecofacts, including animal and fish bones, plant remains and marine and land molluscs, aiming at a holistic understanding of Bronze Age society and economy. The on-going dialogue and excellent co-operation between the excavators and the bio-archaeology team (V. Isaakidou co-ordinator and zooarchaeologist since 2007, A. Livarda archaeobotanist since 2009 and R. Veropoulidou marine and l..

A microbotanical and microwear perspective to plant processing activities and foodways at Neolithic Çatalhöyük

Çatalhöyük is a renowned archaeological site in central Anatolia, best known for its Neolithic occupation dated from 7100 to 6000 cal BC. The site received worldwide attention early on for its large size, well-preserved mudbrick architecture, and elaborate wall paintings. Excavations at the site over almost three decades have unearthed rich archaeobotanical remains and a diverse ground stone assemblage produced by what once was a vibrant farming community. The study presented here adds to our understanding of crops and plant processing at Çatalhöyük by integrating phytoliths and starch analyses on grinding implements found at three domestic contexts attributed to the Middle (6700–6500 cal BC) and Late (6500–6300 cal BC) period of occupation. Our results reveal a rich microbotanical assemblage that testifies the use of a wide range of geophytes and wild seasonal resources previously unknown at the site. Moreover, by comparing results from the microbotanical proxies and microscopic wear patterns on artefacts, we are also able to discern various plant processing practices the analysed artefacts were employed for. In sum, this work further expands our understanding of plants and crop processing activities performed by the inhabitants of Neolithic Çatalhöyük.This work was funded by the following: The Çatalhöyük Research Project (http://www.catalhoyuk.com/); CaSEs – Quality Research Group of the Catalonian Government SGR-212 (https://www.upf.edu/web/cases); Raindrops ERC starting grant (Grant agreement ID: 759800) CL, MM; Ph.D. Scholarship (PIPF-UPF-PhD), Department of Humanities Universitat Pompeu Fabra (https://www.upf.edu/web/humanitats/) CG.S-M; CRAFTS Marie-Curie Intra-European Research Fellowship (Grant agreement no. PIEF-GA-2012-328862) CT

Making marks meaningful: new materialism and the microwear assemblage

In this paper we explore how positioning microwear analysis within new materialism and assemblage theory allows us to develop new ways of thinking about meaning in the past. By mapping the detailed histories of an object’s making and use, we suggest that we can open up an understanding of marks as forms of material meanings. These material meanings operate as intensive events that fold together present and absent materials, and a range of ongoing processes. By studying marks on an archaeological object made of stone from one of the most famous Bronze Age barrows in Britain, within what we term a microwear assemblage, we will explore how a relational, more-than-representational, version of material meanings emerges