Lithic Studies Society Conference 2018
CALL FOR PAPERS
Stone Circles: Collaboration, Collection and Community Archaeology in Lithic Studies
Sunday 2nd of December 2018 Oxford Centre for Continuing Education
Collected from the beach, dragged up from a muddy field, or clawed out from the quarry face, lithic assemblages recovered by antiquarian collectors played a formative role in lithic studies. The subsequent rise of academic research and commercial archaeology has somewhat overshadowed the work of these amateurs. Nonetheless, dedicated individuals still spend their free time combing beaches, fields and quarries in search of evidence of ancient activity, while community groups gather on weekends to conduct surveys and excavations. What amateur collectors, community groups, commercial archaeologists, student and academic researchers share is a passion for exploring the past and extending the boundaries of our knowledge. As we head into a time where the future of funding for archaeological research is uncertain, we ask what role do amateur collectors and community archaeologists have to play in lithic studies and how can collaboration with professional archaeologists advance our understanding of the human past.
The Lithic Studies Society invites abstracts of 200 words for 20-minute presentations on research related to any aspect relating to the role of local collectors, communities and outreach in lithic studies. Please send abstracts to r.davis@qmul.ac.uk by Wednesday 10th of October.
Key themes include:

  1. Collaboration between amateur collectors, community groups, commercial archaeologists, and academic researchers.
  2. Best practice for the collection, curation and reporting of assemblages by amateurs and community organisations.
  3. Increasing wider participation and accessibility through digital technologies.

To reflect the Lithic Study Society’s membership we actively encourage submissions from amateur, student, commercial and academic researchers.
We hope that these themes will provide an interesting day, spark discussion and lead to lasting collaborations between amateur collectors, community groups, commercial archaeologists.