Project description
Stone masonry in the Bronze Age
Stone tools were used in masonry in the Bronze Age Aegean. What do we know about percussive tools used for cutting and dressing stone in Crete, the Cyclades and mainland Greece in the 2nd millennium BC? While scholars agree on the use of stone tools and metal tools in stone masonry, stone tools are absent from archaeological records. Little is known about the tools and techniques. The EU-funded LiTechAe project will investigate to what degree and in which ways and contexts percussive stone tools were used. Specifically, it will test different types of stone and metal tools on different building materials. It will also analyse use-wear traces on both tools and architectural components. Additionally, the project will compare materials from key sites in the Aegean and Anatolia.
Objective
The project proposes for the first time a global approach for the study of stone tools used in masonry in the Bronze Age Aegean. The study focusses on percussive tools used for cutting and dressing stone in Crete, the Cyclades and mainland Greece in the 2nd millennium B.C. This era saw the rise of the first monumental stone architecture in Europe, first in the palaces of Minoan Crete and from the 15th c. BC onwards, in the tombs and citadels of the Mycenaean mainland following trends known since the 3rd millennium BC in Egypt and the Near East . Scholars agree on the use of stone tools along with metal tools in stone masonry. However, in contrast with other contexts (Egypt, Hittite Anatolia), stone tools in question are absent from the archaeological record, and relatively little is known about tools and techniques. Considering that monumental masonry practices require important energy investment and skilled workforce reflecting a complex social organization , understanding related lithic technology is central to an appreciation of how these societies operated . Recent studies also demonstrate that masonry tools and techniques were part of large-scale technological transfers between the Aegean world and the Near East, especially Hittite Anatolia and Egypt . This project will investigate to what degree, in which ways and contexts and why percussive stone tools were used following a multidisciplinary approach: 1) characterization of materials used for tools and masonry, 2) large-scale experimentations testing different types of stone and metal tools on different building materials, 3) multi-scale analysis of use wear traces on both tools and architectural components (archaeological and experimental), 4) comparative ethnoarchaeological study of material issued from key-sites in the Aegean and Anatolia. The research will provide concrete answers to questions of technological order and an important contribution to social agency, cross-craft/cultural interaction issues.
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.
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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.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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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.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
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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) H2020-MSCA-IF-2019
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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.
2311 EZ Leiden
Netherlands
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.