The University of Sheffield

Department Member, Archaeology

Other Affiliations: Université catholique de Louvain, Archaeology and history of art

Research Fellow Aegis-Aegean Interdisciplinary Studies

Thesis Title: Neolithic Society in Northern Greece: The Evidence of Ground Stone Artefacts

About

My primary research expertise lies in material culture studies. I am currently involved in various Neolithic and Bronze Age projects in mainland Greece (Early, Middle and Late Neolithic settlements of Makriyalos, Revenia, Thermi B, and International Fair of Thessaloniki), Crete (Neolithic Knossos, Bronze Age Sissi, Little Palace North, Southwest Houses Knossos), Cyprus (late Pre-Pottery Neolithic A Agia Varvara-Asprokremnos) and Turkey (Neolithic Çatalhöyük).

My PhD thesis shed light on the production and consumption strategies of Aegean Neolithic communities through detailed study of the ground stone assemblage from the Late Neolithic settlement of Makriyalos, Greece––the largest such assemblage from prehistoric Greece and one of the largest from prehistoric Europe (9000 objects). It was based on statistical and spatial analysis of a wide range of stone artefacts (axes, grinding and pounding tools, mace-heads, weights, ornaments and vases) and debitage. Drawing upon the concepts of the chaîne opératoire and object biographies my doctoral thesis investigated ground stone technology (i.e. a technology in which abrasion plays a prominent role) as a social practice focusing on the life-cycle of artefacts from raw material selection to final deposition. The underlying premise was that a contextual approach can contribute to our understanding of how the production, consumption and discard of ground stone artefacts were structured within different forms and scales of social practice. Detailed analysis of production sequences, consumption practices and deliberate destruction (through burning or fragmentation) allowed for a reconsideration of significant questions regarding the value of different material categories for Neolithic societies. Through systematic technological and spatial analysis of ‘social/prestige objects’ (e.g., ornaments, mace-heads, stone vases) and frequently assumed utilitarian objects (e.g., axes and grinding tools) I clearly demonstrated that ultimately the value and symbolic significance of objects were derived not only through investment in their production or their visual appearance, but also through their use within daily activities. Building upon analysis of the chaîne opératoire, a contextual analysis allowed me to demonstrate that ground stone artefacts were actively employed in the creation and negotiation of varied and distinct identities (individual vs. communal) that could be transformed through different contexts of practice (e.g., daily vs. feasting activities). This research contributes inter alia to wider discussions about the organisation of Aegean Neolithic societies and supports the argument for their subdivision into smaller social units (households) that organised food and craft production at a domestic scale. My doctoral research has been published in journals and edited volumes and is in the process of being prepared for publication as a monograph.

Through this research I have developed an interest in the interactions between different crafts and technological practices. My current research considers the inter-relationships between materials (clay, bone, stone, shell), the construction of material categories in different historically contingent contexts and accordingly the creation of value for particular objects and materials. These themes are explored in a volume I am currently editing together with R. Doonan and S. Sherratt (to be published by Oxbow). This research is closely related to my most recent endeavour (Tsoraki 2011a), that explores ideas about technologies as interwoven and socially entangled practices. This research seeks to provide a new theoretical framework for studying technological systems, integrating traditionally separated material categories, which will be highly applicable in a wide range of archaeological contexts.

In 2008-2009 I held the Geoarchaeology Fellowship at the Wiener Laboratory, American School of Classical Studies at Athens. During my fellowship I conducted a project that investigated the role of practical/mechanical and aesthetic/visual properties in shaping the selective use of raw materials for different ground stone objects. This research allowed me to explore ideas about the existence of established technological traditions in Neolithic societies in Northern Greece and their implication in the construction of social identities.

Issues on raw material selection and rock properties were also explored through an interdisciplinary project I set up with the Department of Civil and Structural Engineering, University of Sheffield (in collaboration with Dr Cripps, Dr Lewis and Dr. Roubos). Drawing upon questions about raw material variation and selection raised in the context of my doctoral thesis (Tsoraki 2008, 2011c), this project seeks to investigate the physical and mechanical properties (e.g., abrasive capacity, toughness and porosity) of serpentinite specimens from different geological sources and other rock specimens such as dolerite, and to relate these findings to our understanding of the selection of raw materials for the production of prehistoric stone tools and the mechanisms involved in their manufacture. Technical findings have been presented at international conferences and have been published (Lewis et al. 2009; Lewis, Tsoraki et al. 2011).

In 2011 I held a research fellowship at the Aegis Research Group, Université Catholique de Louvain, during which I collaborated with Professor Jan Driessen on a project that investigates the organization of activities at the Bronze Age settlement of Sissi, Crete. I investigated the organization of Minoan domestic and craft activities through the contextual analysis of the ground stone assemblage (tools, ornaments and stone vases). I intent to bring together the results of my on-going research on Cretan Bronze Age assemblages in order to explore how social and technological networks were transformed over time as a result of wide-scale changes to production strategies (small-scale domestic production to specialised craft production) and social structures (emergence of centralised authority). This research will combine results from Bronze Age settlements together with palatial contexts.