Research_HIST
Lithics in the Neolithic archaeology of Greece: Capturing the social dynamics of chipped stone technology.
Author:
Odysseas Kakavakis
Ephorate of Antiquities of Athens, Greece
Abstract
Over the years, lithic analysis has become an integral part of Neolithic research in Greece. In the past, chipped stone tools were considered as potential chronological and cultural markers. Pottery, however, and polished stone implements attracted the greatest deal of attention for many decades. During the 1960s, prehistoric archaeology shifted toward a positivist approach away from the culture-historical perspective. Pioneering characterization studies and exchange theories made obsidian a focal point of interest in Aegean archaeology. In the course of time new ideas began to challenge old perspectives, offering different interpretations of the Neolithic past. The concept of the operational sequence or artefact biography started to dominate the field of lithic analysis, providing insight into human behaviour and mind. Currently, the artefact biography approach is used to explore space structuring and depositional practices from a contextual point of view.
How to Cite:
Kakavakis, O., 2015. Lithics in the Neolithic archaeology of Greece: Capturing the social dynamics of chipped stone technology.. SHARE: Studies In History, Archaeology, Religion And Conservation, 2(1), pp.31–47. DOI: http://doi.org/10.18573/share.6
Published on
25 Dec 2015.
Peer Reviewed
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