Invisible Technologies and the Container Revolution

Before pottery was adopted, Mesolithic foragers relied on 'aceramic' technology for cooking and food processing including hot stones, organic containers and hearths. However, due to a focus on pottery and lipid analysis, these technologies have been ignored. The efficiency of pottery has also previously been assumed but never tested. This project combines experimental archaeology with an examination of biomolecular evidence for the use of stones, containers and hearths in order to evaluate the reasons for technological change with the arrival of pottery, and to explore previously invisible cultural and economic shifts across the Mesolithic.