Refining the chronological resolution of the stratigraphic sequences of the two sites in order to achieve a higher temporal sensitivity for several millennia of their use and link these temporal frameworks to climatic/environmental oscillations and shifts in “cultural” practices;

Reconstructing activities carried out in the course of the two sites’ use and potentially identifying changes in their function from early to late phases of occupation;

Comparing the manufacturing processes in chipped stone assemblages, such as knapping objectives, reduction sequences, retouch methods, and techniques, in order to identify specific aspects of Late Epigravettian technological traditions;

Reconstructing the function of a select number of formal chipped stone tools (e.g. blades, bladelets, endscrapers, burins, projectile elements), osseous artifacts, and ground stone tools;

Identifying animal taxa and understanding the specifics of their exploitation with respect to long-term oscillations in climatic and environmental conditions at both sites. Further insights will be made into the seasonal scheduling of hunting/foraging activities by understanding the role of these sites in the functioning of wider regional settlement systems;

Assessing the use of plant materials through carpological analysis of plant macro-remains, such as charcoal and seeds, preserved in sediments. Residues on artifacts will also be examined to investigate the potential use of both animal and/or plant-based adhesives in their hafting;

Evaluating the nature and modes of deposition of human remains at the two sites by screening fragmented faunal assemblages for the possible presence of undetected human remains.