Session abstract: Rock is a timeless resource, free and with infinite supply, that generally requires substantial energy input to achieve the final product. When a rock is extracted in a quarry, it becomes a semi-finished product, culturally influenced and therefore significant. This is when it befalls our studies. To design an object from such material the producers had to have the ambition to create a monument with an enduring - if not permanent - presence and a commanding bearing within a space and society. Stone monuments, whether architectural, funerary, landscape or religious markers and elements, embody diverse biographies and convey long-term implications on societies.

This session aims to bring together scientists who delve into medieval stone monuments within European landscapes in the millennium between the 6th and 16th century. The session will take a multidisciplinary approach to explore stone objects in the broadest sense, and its cultural and ecological implications in the past as well as today.

We seek to gather scholars with a diverse range of experiences in the exploration of medieval stone monuments. These scholars may have worked and continue to work within a broad chronological and geographical setting, to inform more localized studies of such material culture. The session aims to reach a vibrant and dynamic audience that will discuss and consider medieval stone monuments to share our current local, regional, national and international endeavours.

Session organisers: Saša Čaval, Anouk Busset