Implement Petrology Group

Stone artefacts as material and symbolic markers in cultural landscapes: an international perspective

Stone tools are one of the most durable forms of evidence that we have for the study of the prehistoric past. This conference explored the various ways in which this material is currently approached, analysed and interpreted. The contributions reflected a genuine diversity in current approaches, with papers on petrology and geochemistry, on ethnoarchaeology, usewear, technological and contextual studies and explorations of the symbolism and social dimensions of stone in the past.

Conference themes included:

The extraction and working of stone
The circulation, use, deposition and the meanings of stone artefacts;
The relationships between stone artefacts and monuments
Stone tools, symbolism and social identity