João Marreiros

Research Group Leader

Leibniz Zentrum für Archaeologie (LEIZA) - MONREPOS

ICArEHB, University of Algarve

About me

Welcome! I’m an archaeologist, currently working as a Research Group Leader at the Laboratory for Traceology and Controlled Experiments (TraCEr) at LEIZA - MONREPOS, and I’m also a Researcher at the ICArEHB.

I am passionate about the evolution of technology. As an achaeologist, I’m interested in unravelling major steps on early hominin technological evolution, with a special focus on how stone tools were designed and used. I found it intriguing how technological choices made in the past guided us to what we are today. To investigate this topic, I focus on artefact analysis, laboratory experiments, and excavation of palaeolithic sites.

This independent website is about my research on Pleistocene Archaeology! The main aim is to disseminate my research, and share data and details about my projects in the lab and field. Feel free to get in touch!

I’ll regularly update this site with news on my projects, brief intros to my most recent published papers and other research material. You can also find me online on Bluesky.

Interests

Human behaviour
Stone tool production, design and use
Past hominin technological innovations
Palaeolithic archaeology
Archaeological survey and excavation methods
Robots in experimental archaeology

Education

PhD in Prehistoric Archaeology, 2010-2013
Universidade do Algarve
MA in Archaeology, 2007-2009
Universidade do Algarve
BA in Cultural Heritage, 2003-2007
Universidade do Algarve

Experience

Professional appointments

Research Group Leader

Leibniz Zentrum für Archaeologie, MONREPOS

Jan 2017 – Present Neuwied, Germany

Adjunct Lecture

Johannes Gutenberg-Universität

Jan 2017 – Present Mainz, Germany

Researcher

ICArEHB, International research Centre for archaeology and evolution of Human behavior

Jan 2017 – Present Faro, Portugal

Postodoctoral fellow

ICArEHB, UAlg & IMF-CSCI

Jan 2014 – Dec 2016 Faro, Portugal & Barcelona, Spain

Visiting Assistant Professor

Universidade do Algarve. Faculdade das Ciências Humanas e Sociais

Jan 2013 – Dec 2017 Faro, Portugal

PhD candidate

ICArEHB, UAlg

Jan 2010 – Dec 2013 Faro, Portugal

Accomplishments

Research grants and fellowships

NeanderCloud, New and old technologies to understand MP human tool technology, design, and use

Research Grant: DFG, German Research foundation Mar 2024 – Jan 2027

Innovations, On the origins of human technological innovations, the Late Middle-to-Upper Paleolithic transition in the Levant

Research Grant: The Leakey Foundation Feb 2024 – Feb 2026

StoneUseWear, Using controlled experiments and 3D data quantification to understand stone use-wear formation

Marie Curie Individual Fellowships (IF) (MSCA-IF-EF-ST) Oct 2017 – Jan 2017

The contribution of use-wear and residue analysis for the study of the Earliest Anatomically Modern Humans in Southwestern Iberian Peninsula

FCT Postdoctoral fellowship, (SFRH/BPD/94668/2013) Jan 2014 – Dec 2017

The lithic organization and variability during the Gavettian in the Iberian Peninsula

FCT PhD fellowship, (SFRH/BD/65301/2009) Jul 2010 – Dec 2013

My research

research interests

Stone tool use

The Laboratory for Traceology and Controlled Experiments (TraCEr) runs under the research umbrella of the MONREPOS Archaeological Research Centre and Museum for Human Behavioural Evolution, namely, understanding the evolution of our behaviour…

Last updated on Jun 6, 2025

Projects

Principal Investigator

New and old technologies to understand MP human tool technology, design, and use

NeanderCloud (funded by DFG)

On the origins of human technological innovations, the Late Middle-to-Upper Paleolithic transition in the Levant

Innovations (funded by Leakey foundation)

Palaeolithic human coastal adaptations in southwestern Iberia.

PaleoCoast

TraCEr at LEIZA

Laboratory for Traceology and Controlled Experiments

The Laboratory for Traceology and Controlled Experiments (TraCEr) runs under the research umbrella of the MONREPOS Archaeological Research Centre and Museum for Human Behavioural Evolution, namely, understanding the evolution of our behaviour…

Last updated on Jun 5, 2025

Publications

My recent publications

Quickly discover relevant content by filtering publications.

Machine Learning Applications in Use-Wear Analysis: A Critical Review

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Anastasia Eleftheriadou, et al.

DOI

Unveiling the behavioural significance of the Aterian coarse-grained lithic assemblages: Insights from use-wear analysis of Rhafas Cave, Northeast Morocco

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Youssef Djellal, et al.

DOI

An experimental approach on dynamic occlusal fingerprint analysis to simulate use‑wear localisation and development on stone tools

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Hannah Rausch, et al.

DOI

A ‘Family of Wear’: Traceological Patterns on Pebbles Used for Burnishing Pots and Processing Other Plastic Mineral Matters

This study combines experiments and ethnographic studies to investigate how stone had-oc tools were selected and used in specific techniques applied to the production of plastic mineral matter. We use confocal microscopy to identify and quantify the traces of use left during these processes and later compare with those found on archaeological artefacts from the Late Natufian in the Levant.

Laura Debreuil, et al.

DOI

Chimpanzee wooden tool analysis advances the identification of percussive technology

The ability of humans to mediate environmental variation through tool use is likely the key to our success. However, our current …

Lydia Luncz, et al.

DOI

Enhancing lithic analysis: Introducing 3D-EdgeAngle as a semi-automated 3D digital method to systematically quantify stone tool edge angle and design

In this paper we presente a new method, semi-automated, to measure and calculate the variability of the edge of stone tools’ edges. 3D-EdgeAngle calculates the edge angle at any point in a high resolution and scale of analysis, and helps to evaluate how tool use and retouch affect the desing of stone tools found in the archaeological record.

Lisa Schunk, et al.

DOI

Editorial paper special issue “Contact materials: The ‘Other’ in experimental use-wear studies”

This paper is a introductory note to a organised symposium at the EAA conference meeting. Participation in this symposium aimed at presenting and discussion studies focusing on the relevance of contact material used on use-wear-related experimentation. The paper provides a general framework and brief summeary of each contribution! It was a very useful and fun session! Thanks to all participants. Several papers have been published in the same JASr issue.

João Marreiros, et al.

DOI

Aurignacian dynamics in Southeastern Europe based on spatial analysis, sediment geochemistry, raw materials, lithic analysis, and use-wear from Românești-Dumbrăvița

This paper focuses on presenting the results of several excavations at the open-air site of Românești-Dumbrăvița, Romania. In the paper we report data on the archaeological assemblages, including stone tool technology and use-wear analysis, site formation and dating. This is a very important Aurignacian site from East-Central Europe.

Wei Chu, et al.

DOI

Living on the slope. The Middle and Upper Paleolithic occupation of Feldberg “Steinacker”

This article is dedicated to the Paleolithic open-air site of Feldberg “Steinacker”, located between the Rhine and the Black Forest …

Marcel Bradtmoller, et al.

DOI

The Middle Paleolithic ground stones tools of Nesher Ramla unit V (Southern Levant): A multi-scale use-wear approach for assessing the assemblage functional variability

Our study aimed at reporting and evaluating the variability of the so-called grounds stone tools recovered from the Middle Paleolithic occupations at the site of Nesher Ramla. focusing and combining a technological and functional approach, our analysis and results combine different types of observations and characterization of the various use-wear damages on these tools’ surface. While the results report a significant level of diversification in resource exploitation, we still need to develop more experiments to fully identify and understand some of the micro wear traces, and, therefore, reconstruct all activities and worked materials at the site. This study is quite interesting as it reveals the ecological and technological dynamics of these MP populations.”

Eduardo Paixão, Et al.

DOI