TraceoLab

Lessons From The Past – A UN Sustainable Development Goals Conference UNITED NATIONS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

🔬 We are pleased to share the upcoming international hybrid congress “Lessons from the Past: UN Sustainability Goals”, hosted by our colleagues of the University of Liverpool.

🗓️ 23–24 March 2026
📍 Liverpool & Online
🔗 lessonsfromthepast.info

Exciting progress today in our Synthesis project on Mesolithic mobility in the Demer Basin! With Vincent Delvigne ((CNRS and UMR Temps 8068), we're building a flint raw materials library and using petrographic analysis to trace prehistoric movement. 🔍🪨

📝 Submit your abstract now via: 📧 conexp2025@uliege.be

📄 For all submission details and guidelines, visit:
🌐 Official Website

📢📢 LAST CALL – DEADLINE FOR ABSTRACT SUBMISSIONS! 💀🕒

⏳ FINAL DEADLINE: 31 July — Submit your proposal for oral presentations, posters, or demonstrations at the 🎓 7th International Congress of Experimental Archaeology (CONEXP 2025) | 📅 22–25 October 2025
We can’t wait to welcome you to Liège! 🤩🔥

Appel à communication "On the Trail of Prehistoric Individuals: Scientific Challenges, Methods, and Perspectives" - UMR Temps 8068 La question de l'identification des individus en Préhistoire a donné lieu à plusieurs travaux fondateurs à la fin des années 1970 et dans les années 1980. Près de 50 ans plus tard, où en est-on ? Du…

More info available at: umrtemps.cnrs.fr/evenement/ap...) and (mobilith.hypotheses.org/665).

UMR TEMPS and TraceoLab are hosting the conference 'On the Traces of Prehistoric Individuals: Scientific Challenges, Methods, and Perspectives' in Paris on 26-27 February 2026. Abstract submissions are open and should be sent to pierre.allard@cnrs.fr, solene.denis@cnrs.fr or otouze@uliege.be.

Bullseye! This week at TraceoLab, more than fifty sharp projectiles were launched as part of a summer study on wear patterns. This initiative aims to establish a benchmark for Lola's PhD, which focuses on identifying the components of laterally hafted projectiles.

Archaeological position at TraceoLab (ULiège) - reorganising prehistory collections. Need a Master's in Archaeology, lithic experience, and good organisational skills.
Apply to veerle.rots@uliege.be by 25/8/25. Start Sep-Oct.
Full details: www.traceolab.uliege.be/cms/c_127324... 🏺

📢 Deadline Extension for Abstract Submissions

We are delighted to announce that the abstract submission deadline for CONEXP 2025 has been extended to August 1st, 2025!

Submit your abstract: www.conexp2025.uliege.be

🏺⚒️ Calling all experimental archaeologists! Only 4 days left to submit your abstracts for CONEXP 2025!

More information can be found here: www.conexp2025.uliege.be/cms/c_203331...

First blades produced! The Leakey Foundation-funded experimental project gives us a chance to join forces with expert knapper Morgan Roussel in our research into Middle Stone Age hunter-gatherer technology at Rose Cottage Cave. Collaborators: Noora Taipale, Viola Schmid, Lyn Wadley.

🚨 The CONEXP 2025 website has been freshly updated with additional conference details.

📅 It's the perfect moment to register and send in your abstracts!
📝 Deadline for abstract submissions: July 1st 2025

🔗 Complete details and registration can be found at: www.conexp2025.uliege.be/cms/c_203331...

New study by Tydgadt & Rots in Archaeological & Anthropological Sciences establishes methods for identifying laterally hafted projectiles through experimental wear analysis. This is a vital advancement in identifying Upper Paleolithic tools.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Merci pour tous les bons moments partagés. Tu vas nous manquer, Pierre.

Thank you for the wonderful moments we shared. We will miss you Pierre.

We’re deeply concerned about the disappearance of our colleague Pierre Noiret. Please share and help us spread the word.
For more information please check: www.police.be/avis-de-rech...

We were delighted to welcome Dr. Alejandro Prieto from the University of Barcelona for an insightful 4-day workshop on quartzite analysis. His knowledge of stone materials greatly enriches our archaeological research. Many thanks to our Faculty for the SPUR grant! #Archaeology

7e Congrès International d’Archéologie Expérimentale Nous sommes ravis de vous inviter à la 7e édition du Congrès International d’Archéologie Expérimentale, qui se tiendra dans la ville historique de Liège, du 22 au 25 octobre 2025.

The organizing committee is excited to announce the launch of the official website for the 7th International Congress of Experimental Archaeology (CONEXP 2025), taking place in Liège, Belgium from October 22 to 25, 2025. Visit www.conexp2025.uliege.be for more information.

Meanwhile, back in the lab, Sophie Bodart and Sonja Tomasso are conducting detailed functional analyses of the lithic assemblage from Diepenbeek Molenstraat.
#syntheseonderzoek #archeologie @vioe @vlaamseoverheid

Recently, Vincent Delvigne has been leading prospections to collect Maastrichtian flint samples from potential source locations. This fieldwork helps us better understand the diversity of raw materials used by Mesolithic communities and their mobility patterns across the landscape.

The main research questions include: What activities occurred in these camps? Did these communities move seasonally? What exchange networks existed between different groups? How did tool production relate to material selection and intended use?

The study combines a technological, petrographic and functional approach on the assemblages of five Mesolithic sites within the Demer Basin (Diepenbeek, Stevoort, Donk, Tessenderlo, and Diest).

We're making exciting progress on our new synthesis project funded by the Flemish government! The project "Mobility Network and Lifestyle of Mesolithic Hunter-Gatherers in the Demer Basin" addresses key questions about Mesolithic life in the Demer Basin.

Join us at TraceoLab Research Seminars on March 27 at ULiège's Grand Physique. At 13:30, Sol Sánchez-Dehesa Galán will discuss hominin cognition and knapping skills, followed by Osman Khaleel at 14:30 on human movement and technology in MSA Sudan.

New preprint from our team: "When the hammer drops: Identification of knapping techniques in blade production based on a multi-scale study of knapping traces." Integrating micro/macro analyses improves knapping trace identification. osf.io/dya96_v1

New preprint: "Does point size matter? Morphometric arguments in Palaeolithic weaponry models" Our study challenges reliance on TCSA/TCSP for weapon identification. Small points ≠ arrow tips! Experimental data shows these metrics don't reliably predict weapon type. zenodo.org/records/15051934

Join us Thursday for a session with Professor Andreas Maier (University of Cologne) on "Population dynamics and demographic insights of the European Upper and Final Palaeolithic" in our "Current Debates in Prehistory" course. 20/02/2025, 11 AM–1 PM at the Museum of Prehistory.

Excited to share our new publication: "Let's cut to the chase and rely on fracture mechanics to identify projectile armatures" 🏹🔍 in Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences. This study shows how fracture mechanics help identify lithic projectile armatures. 👉 Read more: buff.ly/WvAh2C6 📚

Picture of a polished axe with zoom on a part of the edge showing distinctive polish.

1/3 New recommendation: Tomasso, Cnuts (@palaeoprop.bsky.social), Geerts, Vanmontfort & @veerlerots.bsky.social (2025). From polishing to burning: deciphering a Middle Neolithic hoard from Beringen Brouwershuis (Belgium) through functional analysis. doi.org/10.31219/osf... 🧪🏺 @traceolab.bsky.social

Last week, we welcomed Morgan Roussel and Viola Schmid for MSA lithic experiments at Rose Cottage Cave. Viola co-directs the excavation, while Morgan, a knapping expert, aids in understanding local raw materials. Thanks to SPUR and FNRS for funding! #Lithics #MSA #ExperimentalArchaeology

Lecture: A Cultural Turning Point – Join Viola Schmid on Feb 14, 2025, at 11:00 at ULiège - Musée de la Préhistoire to explore the Middle Stone Age of southern Africa. Discover cultural shifts and innovations from Bushman Rock Shelter, Rose Cottage Cave, and Sibudu Cave. #Archaeology #MiddleStoneAge