Ludowice 6 site, western habitation: A silica plant processing female gatherer campsite?

This article presents the results of an interdisciplinary study of the Late Mesolithic site of Ludowice 6 in Central Poland. Here, the remains of three shelters/huts were identified, each with a clearly organised functional space, in which zones for various activity types could be distinguished. It is suggested that the camp was seasonally used in the early autumn. Most probably, it served as a location for conducting the highly specialised processing of silica plants. The functional structure of an excavated tool assemblage indicates that this place might have been used to acquire plant material seasonally, which was later transported to a base camp situated elsewhere. The location and characteristics of individual activity zones, as well as the manner in which projectile points were dispersed, together with the characteristics and the intensity of flint processing allowed us to test a hypothesis that it could have been used mainly by women.