Unmasking the Maker

A personal lithic study

Lecture by Sofus S. Stenak, University of Copenhagen (Royal Danish Defence College).

This seminar is based on a Master’s thesis in prehistoric archaeology from The University of Copenhagen (2022). I will present an innovative analysis of Late Neolithic flint daggers in an attempt to shed light on the individuals who produced the most complex lithic artefacts of human prehistory. In this pursuit of the illusive individuals of the past, experimental archaeology as well as traditional lithic analysis are combined with quantitative morphometric analysis. I will demonstrate how to craft products of the past not only hold technological information but also convey personal traits that speak of individual agents, who express artistic choices within the confines of social norms.