Svenja Arlt studies at the Institute for Pre- and Early History and Archaeology of the Middle Ages in Tübingen. She gained experience in field work on excavations in Germany, France, Greece and South Africa. After graduating with a Bachelor's degree in Classical Archaeology (“Transkriptionsprozesse in der Antike. Stilistischer und inhaltlicher Wandel der Kopien der Aeneas-Gruppe vom Augustusforum in Rom – Die Rheinprovinzen und die Iberische Halbinsel im Vergleich“) she will complete her Master's degree in Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology. In her master thesis „Bergkristall – Seine Verwendung im europäischen Paläolithikum unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Funde aus Burgund“, supervised by Prof. Dr. Harald Floss, she examines fundamental questions regarding the use of this raw material. Rock crystal is a rare mineral that was occasionally collected in the Palaeolithic and used for tool production. Southern Burgundy provides outstanding rock crystal artefacts. They are analysed in more detail and compared with the evidence from all over Europe. The mapping of all European sites that contain this material in their inventory is an important contribution of the thesis. The comparison between the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic finds is particularly interesting, as the use of exotic materials is seen as a sign of cultural modernity. On this basis it should be clarified whether special reduction strategies can be determined and whether a certain symbolism was associated with this transparent stone.