The symposium aims to showcase interdisciplinary and comprehensive studies of Palaeolithic stone tools in Asia, situating them within a global context of understanding the human past. The session is particularly interested in research questions relating to raw material circulation and technological features. The identification of lithic raw material sources (both primary and secondary deposits) offers vital clues for revealing patterns of land use and mobility, such as short-range movements linked to subsistence activities and long-range movements associated with seasonal migrations. Combined with technological studies, researchers can further explore the objectives of lithic production, the extent of technological investment, the presence of tool types that suggest mobile toolkits, and how toolmaking adapted to the available raw materials across various Asian regions. To address these questions, lithic researchers develop and apply new methodological approaches to provide fresh insights into technological choices, production strategies, and the socio-cultural implications of lithic technologies. These innovations enhance the reconstruction of past human behaviours, site formation processes, and technological organization with greater accuracy and detail. The session will also welcome contributions related to the contextualization of Asian lithic industries within the framework of European and African lithic assemblages, from a diageographic perspective aimed at identifying potential convergences and transfers of know-how.

By integrating methods and findings from diverse disciplines focused on lithic research in Asia, this session seeks to demonstrate how a collaborative interdisciplinary approach enriches our understanding of settlement dynamics, technological organization, and the formation and transformation of archaeological sites in Asia.

For inquiries and submissions, please contact:

Marta Arzarello, University of Ferrara, Italy – marta.arzarello@unife.it

Anton Ferdianto, Research Centre of Archaeometry, National Research and Innovation Agency, Indonesia – anton.ferdianto18@gmail.com

Sam Lin, University of Wollongong, Australia – samlin@uow.edu.au

Chris Clarkson, University of Queensland, Australia – c.clarkson@uq.edu.au