Sessions abstracts

Mesolithic–Neolithic Transition: Dynamics of Interactions among Hunter-Fisher-Gatherers and Farming Communities

Session co-organizers: Sonja Kačar¹ & Maïté Rivollat²
¹Austrian Archaeological Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna
²CNRS, UMR 5199 – PACEA, Bordeaux, France

The diversity of Neolithic lifeways in Europe arose from a complex interplay of social, environmental, and cultural factors, highlighting the prolonged, arrhythmic, complex and regionally varied dynamics of the Neolithisation processes. Emerging in Southwest Asia, the spread of sedentary farming, accompanied by various technological innovations, expanded across Europe through both migrations and local interactions, as shown by archaeological and archaeogenetic evidence. Migrants originally from Anatolia settled in European regions, and in areas with dense hunter-fisher-gatherer populations, coexistence fostered repeated interactions—ranging from cooperation to conflict—that often persisted over long periods before full integration into the Neolithic paradigm.

This general session focuses on interactions among diverse cultural, social, and biological groups of hunter-fisher-gatherers and farmers, as well as between different farmer groups. We invite papers that explore both interregional and intraregional connections, from the perspective of material culture studies and bioarchaeological sciences. Contributions are also encouraged on the legacy and persistence of hunter-gatherer groups, as well as on connections linking the European Neolithic to Southwest Asia, the Caucasus, and Northern Africa. Regional syntheses, new models of Neolithisation processes, and studies that challenge prevailing narratives are highly welcomed.

Modelling and Population Dynamics: Formal Approaches for the Understanding of European Late Hunter-Gatherers and Farmers

Session co-organizers: Alfredo Cortell-Nicolau¹ & Salvador Pardo-Gordó²
¹ Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
²University of La Laguna, La Laguna, Spain

During the past years, the use of formal and quantitative modelling has known an exponential increase in archaeological practice. Loosely under the overarching framework of Computational Archaeology, morphometric analysis, Bayesian chronologies, settlement patterns, network analysis and, most of all, demographic and population dynamics analysis are just some of its most used applications. Thanks to this methodological progress, archaeologists have been able not only to formalise previous hypotheses, but also to expand their research questions and push the discipline forward.

Attending to this fast development of Computational Archaeology and, in particular, through its applications in the European Middle and Late Holocene, in this session we welcome approaches applying computational methods to the understanding of the European Last Mesolithic and Neolithic. On top of its primary scope on demographic dynamics, the session is open to spatial analysis, advanced statistical and mathematical modelling, open research and database approaches or software development, just to name a few. In summary, any formal and computationally-intensive proposal, either methodological or theoretical, is welcome to this session.

People, Settlement and Territory: Constructing Communities from Local to Regional Scale

Session co-organizers: Evita Kalogiropoulou¹ & Darko Stojanovski²
¹Institute for Mediterranean Studies, FORTH, Rethymno, Greece
²Austrian Archaeological Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna

The study of settlements constitutes prominent field in the history of archaeological research. The interplay between landscape evolution and human settlement dynamics has been featured as a complex palimpsest, formed by the continuous interaction of human and nature. In the Neolithic the human perception of the landscape and the ability to explore and exploit it was of paramount importance for the early farmers. As societies highly dependent on natural resources, Neolithic people and communities had many factors to consider in the formation of living strategies. Moving beyond single-caused interpretations on the effect of natural processes or the dominant role of human agencies, the session invites research presentations related with spatial arrangements, both in the intra-site/local and the inter-site/regional scale in the context of their environmental setting and landscape position. The range of topics include settlement establishment strategies, internal structural developments of space, distribution of the various daily and exceptional practices, household organization, interaction and mobility among communities, landscape developments, land use strategies, territoriality and raw material procurement.

Human-Environment Dynamics: Environmental Archaeology and Paleoclimate

Session co-organizers: Katarina Botić¹ & Rory Connolly²
¹Institute of Archaeology, Zagreb, Croatia
²Trinity College Dublin, Ireland

The investigation of human-environment dynamics is becoming a core focus of research in prehistoric archaeology. The concept of human-environment interaction describes the manner in which humans and their surrounding environments exert an impact on each other, in processes that can be synergic or destructive. Understanding the relationships between past societies and the environments in which they lived greatly complements the classical archaeological approach.

This session invites contributions that explore the influence of environmental factors on the Neolithisation process in Europe and assess the evidence of human-environment interactions across diverse archaeological and environmental records. Topics may include, but are not limited to, how Early Neolithic communities both adapted to and impacted their diverse environments (terrestrial, riverine/fluvial, waterlogged, lacustrine, marine, etc.). This might also include studies that address the adaptive strategies of local Mesolithic populations in the context of a changing natural and social environment. Broader discussions on methodological innovations, interpretation of anthropogenic markers, and multiscalar analyses are similarly encouraged.

Subsistence and Health: Archaeology of the Emerging Food Systems, Dietary Patterns and Lifestyle Maladies

Session co-organizers: Dragana Filipović¹ & Ivana Živaljević²
¹Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Jena, Germany
²University of Novi Sad, Serbia

One of the most significant economic and technological achievements in human history is the development of agriculture; its emergence triggered a chain of complex economic, social, technological and environmental changes. In archaeology, it represents a hallmark of the Neolithic, and Neolithic agriculture is described as an activity securing subsistence for small producing units (e.g. a farming family) with the produce not intended for commerce but some likely shared or exchanged within a community or network. Combined with gathering, hunting and fishing, Neolithic subsistence farming is thought to have provided a higher-than-before degree of food security, including the steady and sufficient supply and diversity of essential nutrients – prerequisites for good health. Whereas the emerging food systems integrated manifold strategies, these would have varied in relation to their natural-cultural contexts, resulting in distinct food production and consumption patterns and ‘food cultures’ across the continent, presumably with different health outcomes. How is this reflected in the archaeological record? This session invites papers on ways of securing and consuming food in the Neolithic, how the early food systems operated in their natural-cultural environments, what kinds of diets they enabled, and what the health outcomes of dietary choices were among the early farmers in Europe. Beyond the focus on subsistence, the session aims to discuss emerging interlinkages of the cultural and biological processes: how did the co-living and co-dependence of humans and the adopted plant and animal domesticates unfold in the new biogeoclimatic regions and new cultural worlds.

Innovation and Tradition: Technological Perspectives on Europe’s Neolithisation

Session co-organizers: Solène Denis¹ & Bogdana Milić²
¹CNRS, UMR 8068 TEMPS, Nanterre, France
² Spanish National Research Council (IMF-CSIC), Barcelona, Spain

The Neolithisation of Europe, marked by the emergence of a new production-based economy, led to profound transformations in material technologies. As communities transitioned to farming, technological practices evolved to meet changing demands, forging a balance between innovation and continuity. Longstanding technologies like lithic and bone tool production were adapted to meet the needs of emerging Neolithic practices (such as harvesting for instance). Certain technological domains, such as pottery production, were once regarded as entirely new innovations in continental Europe, representing not just functional advances but also significant shifts in material culture. These developments underscore the interplay between technological creativity and cultural adaptation, as communities integrated new techniques with existing traditions to address their evolving socio-economic and environmental needs.

By examining the transformative role of technological practices, this session explores how they served as both drivers and reflections of Neolithic societies. We invite contributions that investigate the trajectories of technological innovation and tradition, highlighting their implications for socio-economic structures, cultural interactions, and the formation of exchange networks in the Early Neolithic of Europe. Special emphasis will be placed on three interconnected themes:

Innovative Methodologies – New tools and techniques for studying technological practices, from experimental reconstructions to advanced material analyses.
Cross-Material Perspectives – Integrative studies examining diverse materials (lithics, ceramics, organics, building materials) to address socio-technical dynamics.
Regional and Comparative Case Studies – Research exploring the interconnections and variability of Neolithisation trajectories across Europe.

Figurative Expressions and Socio-Symbolism

Session co-organizers: Valeska Becker¹ & Esther López-Montalvo²
¹SAXO-Institute, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
²CNRS, UMR 5608 TRACES, Toulouse, France

Like no other prehistoric period, the emergence and spread of the agro-pastoral way of life involved new relationships with the environment and deep social transformations. Changes were also expressed in the symbolic sphere. The blossoming of new social codes was translated into novel media and forms of figurative expression, coupled with a renewed socio-symbolic perception and interpretation of the landscape and natural resources.

During the Neolithic, new themes, representation techniques, and media emerged. These images, characterized by naturalistic and schematic figurative styles, emphasize human and animal forms to form narrative components. Thus, they provide valuable insights into economic activities, social organization, and territorial structuring of early farming societies. We may consider figurative expressions as a gateway between the material and the symbolic and an invaluable source for the study of Neolithic populations.

Therefore, the session aims to highlight the potential of parietal and portable Neolithic art, paying special attention to the analysis, contextualization and dating of these images. Presentations may encompass the chaîne opératoire of parietal or portable art, techniques and raw materials, stylistic analysis of motifs, or an archaeo-anthropological approach. Research dealing with the use, possible interpretations or the abandonment of figurative expressions is likewise welcome. Territorial approaches to Neolithic rock art, linked to dynamics of landscape occupation and exploitation, will be also discussed, as well as studies of circulation and cultural boundaries of portable art at a regional or European scale. Finally, this session also focuses on the dating methods of open-air or cave parietal contexts, as well as on the taphonomic studies of these rock surfaces.

Intersecting Identities and Social Dynamics during the Neolithisation of Europe

Session co-organizers: Berta Morell-Rovira¹ & Cristina Tejedor Rodríguez²
¹Spanish National Research Council (IMF-CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
²University of Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain

This session seeks to explore the multifaceted nature of identity—encompassing dimensions such as age, gender, status, kinship, hierarchy, and alterity—within European last hunter-gatherer and first farming communities. Our goal is to approach how identities were formed, expressed, and negotiated both individually and collectively, highlighting the intersections of material culture, bioarchaeological evidence, and theoretical frameworks.

Studies drawing from funerary and settlement contexts, as well as those addressing broader spatial or temporal patterns, are especially invited. We also welcome methodological approaches such as isotopic analysis, ancient DNA, physical anthropology, network analysis, and spatial analysis, which can help unravel the complexities of identity and social dynamics. Additionally, contributions exploring themes of alterity and confronted identities—focusing on how individuals and groups navigated cultural and social differences—are also warmly invited to enrich the discussion.

This session aims to provide a platform for advancing discussions on the formation, negotiation, and expression of identities during the Neolithisation. We invite contributions that address these questions through innovative perspectives and multidisciplinary approaches. By integrating diverse methodologies and theoretical frameworks, we hope to deepen our understanding of social interactions, power dynamics, and the processes shaping individual and collective identities in prehistoric communities.