Objective
Over 95% of prehistoric perishable material culture (e.g. hide clothing and basketry) remains archaeologically invisible, creating fundamental gaps in our understanding of technological systems and cultural innovation. This missing majority particularly obscures two critical technologies ethnographically linked to women’s labor: hide-working and plant-fibre processing. Their invisibility not only limits our comprehension of technological evolution but also perpetuates androcentric narratives that marginalize women’s central role in innovation. HIDTECH fills these gaps by pioneering a novel methodology to reconstruct these hidden technologies across Europe and the Levant, from the Upper Palaeolithic to the Early Neolithic. Our approach integrates AI-driven quantitative use-wear analysis of durable tools (stone, bone, shell) from habitation sites and grave offerings, combined with robotic dental experiments and analysis of anterior tooth wear, revealing the use of teeth as tools. Use-wear on tools from habitation sites will enable reconstruction of missing hide and plant technologies, while analysis of grave offerings and anterior teeth of sexed individuals (identified by proteomics) will link both hidden technologies to gendered labor roles. By quantifying innovation rates in hide and plant-fibre technologies and correlating them with environmental, demographic, and social connectivity data, HIDTECH provides the first large-scale empirical framework for understanding factors shaping the development and transmission of these technologies. Crucially, by gendering these hidden technologies, HIDTECH restores women’s agency through their central contributions as innovators and specialists in perishable technologies, roles long overlooked in traditional narratives. This integrative approach not only reveals the hidden dynamics of prehistoric innovation but also challenges longstanding biases, offering a more inclusive narrative of human technological and social evolution.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- humanities history and archaeology history prehistory
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins proteomics
- social sciences economics and business business and management innovation management
- engineering and technology materials engineering textiles
You need to log in or register to use this function
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
-
HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2025-ADG
See all projects funded under this callHost institution
Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
28006 Madrid
Spain
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.