An overview of the work performed during the whole project period and the main results achieved per work package are presented below.
WP1. Project administration: Meetings, documentation of achievements and challenges, training activities, acquisition of analytical instrumentation.
Main results: Professional development through training opportunities, acquisition of state-of-the-art instruments and equipment.
WP2. Skills acquisition: Study methods, attendance of courses for professional development, training in new analytical methods.
Main results: Development of scientific skills, training in phytolith and dung extraction protocols as well as in the identification and quantification of these microfossils, training in software processing and statistical treatment of GC/MS data.
WP3. Data collection: Data collection from databases and scientific literature, fieldwork and sampling in Türkiye and Jordan, creation of analytical databases.
Main results: Literature review, completion of three fieldwork seasons, sampling and documentation of key contexts, reports on preliminary data findings, creation of integrated databases.
WP4. Geoarchaeological analyses: Laboratory processing of block samples, micromorphological analyses of archaeological deposits, spatial analyses through Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Raman spectrometry and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analyses of pigments and plasters.
Main results: Multiscalar geo-spatial models integrating macroscopic and microstratigraphic data, reconstruction of the depositional history of open spaces at the study sites, identification of pigment sources.
WP5 Palaeoenvironmental analyses: Collection of subsamples from key sediment blocks and contexts, phytolith and dung spherulite analyses of selected deposits, fluorescence analyses of phytoliths and organic components, processing of sterol data from suspected faecal samples.
Main results: Identification of fuel sources and plant-related activities in open areas, determination of firing temperatures and other key aspects of Neolithic pyrotechnology, production of new data on defecating species, health and dietary patterns at the study sites.
WP6. Dissemination, communication and public outreach: Publication of project results, presentations at a number of international conferences, meetings and seminars, organisation of scientific meetings, engagement in science communication activities.
Main results: Co-organisation of 4 international conferences, 2 international workshops and 1 international seminar, delivery of 21 conference contributions and 7 invited lectures, publication of a book chapter and a journal article, research communication to interested parties through public lectures, workshops, and the Science is Wonderful! outreach fair.
