Public lecture by Assoc. Prof. D.Sc. Maria Gurova on Balkan flint and Neolithic chipped-stone assemblages from Bulgaria: a multifaceted diachronic overview

On Tuesday, May 19th, 2026, at 5.30 pm, Assoc. Prof. D. Sc. Maria Gurova from the Department of Prehistory of the National Archaeological Institute with Museum (BAS) will hold a lecture in Bulgarian at the Archaeological Museum in Sofia (1 Atanas Burov Sq., opposite the Presidency Building). As part of the Academic Seminar of NAIM's lecture series, her talk will be on "Balkan flint and Neolithic chipped-stone assemblages from Bulgaria: a multifaceted diachronic overview.

The lecture provides a comprehensive, synthetic overview of flint assemblages from Neolithic settlements in Bulgaria. It is based on the study of over 40 collections and combines techno-typological and traceological (functional) analyses of artefacts. A distinctive feature of this study is its interdisciplinary analysis of flint raw materials, particularly the so-called Balkan flint. This plays a significant role in identifying diagnostic Early Neolithic formal tools and in the transformation of the flint industry during the transition from the Early to the Late Neolithic. Specialised geological studies (micropetrography and trace element analysis) demonstrate the indispensable role and scientific significance of this type of collaborative research in archaeology. A synthesis is proposed to interpret Early Neolithic flint assemblages within the multifaceted theoretical discourse on Neolithisation in the Balkans. A critical review of some traditional paradigms is presented, and the role of Balkan flint and the diagnostic toolkits made from it in the complex process of the emergence of the new economy in the Balkans is argued clearly and convincingly for the first time.

Maria Gurova, PhD, DSc is Associate Professor of Prehistory in the National Institute of Archaeology with Museum, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (NAIM–BAS). She is an internationally acclaimed scholar, recognized for her research on Holocene flint assemblages from Bulgaria, the Balkans, Anatolia, and the Levant. Her research integrates traditional techno-typological analysis of flint artefacts with functional use-wear identification – a discipline in which she was a pioneer and remains the sole expert within the Balkan prehistoric academic community. Through her fellowships at academic institutions abroad (France, The Netherlands, Israel) and annual participation in international scientific fora, Maria Gurova has become a valued collaborator in international scientific programmes and projects. Her research addresses Neolithization, Chalcolithic flint industry technological achievements, Metal Age flint toolkits, functional analysis of flint artefacts, flint raw material sourcing and distribution networks, among others. She has authored over 280 scientific publications, some of which are in prestigious, high-impact journals. For the past 15 years, she has served as editor-in-chief of the Bulgarian e-Journal of Archaeology (Be-JA), Bulgaria's only archaeological journal indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection.