The Bell Beaker Culture in All Its Forms: Proceedings of the 22nd Meeting of Archeologie et Gobelets 2021 (Geneva, Switzerland)

The Bell Beaker Culture in All its Forms contains the proceedings of the 22nd meeting of the ‘Archéologie et Gobelets’ Association which took place in Geneva, Switzerland in January 2021. The book is structured in three parts: Archaeological Material demonstrates how ceramics, lithics, wrist guards, and metal artifacts contribute to our understanding of the Bell Beaker Culture. Funerary Archaeology and Anthropology considers how the particular context of death and the human skeleton can be employed to gain information on Bell Beaker populations. The final section, Reconstructing Bell Beaker Society, builds upon archaeological evidence to discuss site interpretations as well as the wide-reaching topics of ritual, culture, and symbolism. With the publication of these proceedings, it is hoped that the conference interactions can facilitate future research and discussions on Bell Beaker societies and their roles within Neolithic Europe and beyond.

Claudine Abegg specialises in Forensic Archaeology and Anthropology. Her PhD work pertained to the establishment of the health profile of the Neolithic populations of Western Switzerland by analysing bone lesions to identify trends in the state of health in these societies. Currently, she works in both forensic and archaeological contexts, and her work focuses on interpreting skeletal pathologies with new methodologies to better understand how they affected, and still affect, human societies. Delia Carloni is currently a PhD candidate at the Laboratory of prehistoric archaeology and anthropology at the University of Geneva. Specialising in pottery compositional analysis, her research focuses on raw material selection and procurement from prehistoric contexts. Florian Cousseau’s research focuses on the megalithism of Western Europe. His PhD dissertation, carried out in Western France, received international attention, winning the dissertation prize of the UISPP. He is currently a postdoctoral researcher and leads a major European excavation on the cairn of Goasseac’h in Brittany, France. Eve Derenne holds a Doctorate of Science in prehistoric archaeology from the University of Geneva. Her research focuses on the evolution of social and cultural practices during the Neolithic and the Bronze Ages, particularly relating to the emergence, diffusion, and local integration processes of large-scale cultural phenomena such as the Bell Beaker complex. Jessica Ryan-Despraz is a postdoctoral assistant at the University of Geneva. She holds an MSc in prehistoric archaeology and anthropology and a Doctorate of Science in prehistoric archaeology. She specialises in biological anthropology, with a focus on human biomechanics and its influences on skeletal morphology.; Claudine Abegg specialises in Forensic Archaeology and Anthropology. Her PhD work pertained to the establishment of the health profile of the Neolithic populations of Western Switzerland by analysing bone lesions to identify trends in the state of health in these societies. Currently, she works in both forensic and archaeological contexts, and her work focuses on interpreting skeletal pathologies with new methodologies to better understand how they affected, and still affect, human societies.; Delia Carloni is currently a PhD candidate at the Laboratory of prehistoric archaeology and anthropology at the University of Geneva. Specialising in pottery compositional analysis, her research focuses on raw material selection and procurement from prehistoric contexts.; Florian Cousseau’s research focuses on the megalithism of Western Europe. His PhD dissertation, carried out in Western France, received international attention, winning the dissertation prize of the UISPP. He is currently a postdoctoral researcher and leads a major European excavation on the cairn of Goasseac’h in Brittany, France.; Eve Derenne holds a Doctorate of Science in prehistoric archaeology from the University of Geneva. Her research focuses on the evolution of social and cultural practices during the Neolithic and the Bronze Ages, particularly relating to the emergence, diffusion, and local integration processes of large-scale cultural phenomena such as the Bell Beaker complex.; Jessica Ryan-Despraz is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Geneva (Switzerland). She holds an MSc in prehistoric archaeology and anthropology and a PhD in prehistoric archaeology. She specializes in biological anthropology, with a focus on human biomechanics and its influences on skeletal morphology. Her research has led to extensive work on Bell Beaker skeletons in order to address questions surrounding prehistoric archery and warfare.