Final Pleistocene and Early Holocene hunter-gatherer technological organisation and human-environment interaction in Northeast Belgium

Functional analysis of stone tools from seven open-air sites (Beveren LPWW, Heindonk, Moerbeke Terwest, Meeuwen Monninkswijer, Lommel Maatheide, Tongeren Plinius, Diepenbeek Molenstraat) allowed gaining insights into the human technology and settlement behaviour of past human societies during the Final Pleistocene or Early Holocene in Northeast Belgium. The variable preservation of the artefacts within and between the sites permitted first to evaluate in detail the impact of post-depositional processes and to assess potential preservation biases with regard to the different assemblages. Subsequently, integrated functional research that included the examination of wear traces, fractures and residues, next to experimentation, resulted in a better understanding of the lithic technological organisation and enabled the identification of a range of activities that took place on each site. Combining the functional evidence with available paleoenvironmental data allowed drawing a direct relationship between site activities and the proximity of a waterbody such as a lake, wetland, or river. This study demonstrates that combining evidence from large-scale functional analysis and paleoenvironmental research improves our understanding of the relationship between hunter-gatherer societies and their environment.