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

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) held a lecture in the Archaeological Museum in Sofia. As part of the summer semester of the NAIM-BAS academic seminar, her lecture was on "Balkan flint and Neolithic chipped-stone assemblages from Bulgaria: a multifaceted diachronic overview.

The lecture provided a comprehensive, synthetic overview of flint assemblages from Neolithic settlements in Bulgaria, using the study of over 40 collections as a basis and combining techno-typological and traceological analyses of artifacts. By putting an accent on the interdisciplinary analysis of flint raw materials and the Balkan flint, and underlying the need for archaeology and the specialized geological studies (micropetrography and trace element analysis) to be combined, Assoc. Prof. D.Sc. Maria Gurova presented a synthesis to critically interpret Early Neolithic flint assemblages within the multifaceted theoretical discourse on Neolithisation in the Balkans.

The event was organized by NAIM-BAS, with the support of INFRAMAT – Modern research infrastructure in support of science, culture, and technological development. The lecture was attended by the director of NAIM-BAS, Associate Prof. Dr. Hristo Popov, and 31 people, including specialists from NAIM-BAS; professors at the chair of Archaeology of Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, New Bulgarian University, and the Sofia University of Mining and Geology; archaeologists, geologists, and students.