The Lithic Perspective: Reading Copper Age Societies by Means of Techno-Functional Approach

Copper Age societies are traditionally analyzed through their pottery and metal production. This paper aims to stress the high potential of stone as well as osseous industries in order to infer the social complexity of these communities. Although the techno-functional approach is a consolidated practice for Palaeolithic assemblages, this kind of study is now applied to many Neolithic and Copper/Bronze Age contexts. This perspective leads to understand the role played by distinct craft activities in the social organization of Copper Age communities and the interaction between them. As a matter of fact technical solutions reflect material and physical constrains as well as cultural choices. This paper presents new data from Copper Age settlements and burials of Central Italy (Latium and Marche), dated from the 2 nd half of IV to the 1 st half of III mill.B.C. cal., examined by means of the techno-typological and functional analysis of litchis and osseous implements.