PALMOBI | Early Upper Palaeolithic mobility and technological decision-making under changing environmental constraints: case studies from Belgium and Romania

Summary
The PALMOBI project investigates Early Upper Palaeolithic (EUP) hunter-gatherer interactions with their environment at micro- and macro-regional scales under variable ecological conditions through the integrative use of cutting-edge interdisciplinary methodologies and their application to the archaeological record of the Aurignacian and the Gravettian across two contrasting regions (temperate Belgium & continental Romania). A comparison of these two regions by applying state-of-the-art stone tool technology and raw material economy analyses, geochemical sourcing and GIS geospatial techniques in tandem with anthropological methods and theories derived from the human behavioural ecology and social agency has never previously been attempted. While continental European Palaeolithic research is mainly concerned with origins, technological lineages, and culture history, the project, by drawing on the training provided in Cambridge, will contribute to developing an innovative framework to assess EUP hunter-gatherer mobility strategies and technological decision-making, hence adaptability, in the face of variable palaeoenvironmental constraints. Besides helping understand the mechanisms underlying variability in Aurignacian and Gravettian techno-economic systems, the methodological advances resulting from this project concern the resilience of technological behaviour in the face of climate change and the role of mobility in promoting social change, and will be applicable to any period and context in the prehistory of Europe and further afield.
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More information & hyperlinks
Web resources: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/654927
Start date: 01-01-2016
End date: 31-12-2017
Total budget - Public funding: 183 454,80 Euro - 183 454,00 Euro
Cordis data

Original description

The PALMOBI project investigates Early Upper Palaeolithic (EUP) hunter-gatherer interactions with their environment at micro- and macro-regional scales under variable ecological conditions through the integrative use of cutting-edge interdisciplinary methodologies and their application to the archaeological record of the Aurignacian and the Gravettian across two contrasting regions (temperate Belgium & continental Romania). A comparison of these two regions by applying state-of-the-art stone tool technology and raw material economy analyses, geochemical sourcing and GIS geospatial techniques in tandem with anthropological methods and theories derived from the human behavioural ecology and social agency has never previously been attempted. While continental European Palaeolithic research is mainly concerned with origins, technological lineages, and culture history, the project, by drawing on the training provided in Cambridge, will contribute to developing an innovative framework to assess EUP hunter-gatherer mobility strategies and technological decision-making, hence adaptability, in the face of variable palaeoenvironmental constraints. Besides helping understand the mechanisms underlying variability in Aurignacian and Gravettian techno-economic systems, the methodological advances resulting from this project concern the resilience of technological behaviour in the face of climate change and the role of mobility in promoting social change, and will be applicable to any period and context in the prehistory of Europe and further afield.

Status

CLOSED

Call topic

MSCA-IF-2014-EF

Update Date

28-04-2024
Geographical location(s)
Structured mapping
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EU-Programme-Call
Horizon 2020
H2020-EU.1. EXCELLENT SCIENCE
H2020-EU.1.3. EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
H2020-EU.1.3.2. Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
H2020-MSCA-IF-2014
MSCA-IF-2014-EF Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF-EF)