Research

Excavation at and study of the lithic assemblages of Lower and Middle Palaeolithic sites, especially the Bau de l'Aubesier, to determine what the stone tools are made of, the geologic or geographic sources of those rocks, and the use of landscape and lithic resources by prehistoric hominins.

This has developed from a consideration of terrain difficulty, into a multivariate study of many factors that can have influenced hominins' choices of which raw materials to use: quality, nodule size, ease of access, etc.

In collaboration with Connie Browne, we have applied resource selection functions to determine which factors were important for hominins at the Bau de l'Aubesier and other sites.

In collaboration with Dr. Ran Barkai and Dr. Avi Gopher of Tel Aviv University, I am involved with the excavations at a Lower to Middle Palaeolithic site in Israel, Qesem Cave, studying the use of different raw material types in the assemblage, and attempting to locate their sources. I have also studied Neolithic material in Israel in collaboration with Tel Aviv University.

I am a founding member of the international steering committee of a series of conferences called Developing International Geoarchaeology.