To date, the IPG has convened two conferences. Details and abstracts of papers and posters can be found below:

International symposium on Neolithic and Bronze Age stone implements 7 – 9 January 1977 (Nottingham)

The 1977 conference was a pivotal point in the study of stone implements. Key papers were given on themes such as:

  • The chronology of stone axes and perforated implements
  • The distribution of axes from specific sources
  • Ethnographic parallels for axe use
  • The experimental use of axes in tree felling.
  • Many of these papers continue to be relevant today.

Implement Petrology Conference: Stone artefacts as material and symbolic markers in cultural landscapes: an international perspective, York Museum 6 – 11 September 2007

This conference was concerned with the fact that 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, use wear, 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