Graduate Student, LAMPEA - UMR 6636
Thesis Title: Perception, uses and representations of the environment in Final Neolithic times : archaeological and semiotic approach of alpine rupestrian iconography
About
My research focuses on:
- the neolithic iconography of the third millennium B.C. in the Italian central alpine valleys (Valcamonica, Valtellina, Val Venosta).
- the notions of the wild and domestic: uses and knowledge of nature within Neolithic alpine societies of the third millennium B.C.
- the rupestrian iconography of the occidental Alps and new techniques of digital data recording
My PhD is co-supervised by Francesco G. Fedele (University Federico II, Naples) and Maxence Bailly (University of Provence) and deals with the structure of the engraved iconography of boulders, steles and vertical rock surfaces of the central alpine valleys (engraving, engravings associations, location of engravings on the rock surface and recurrence of spatial organization among the supports). This study consists of an anthropological and contextual approach of Neolithic imagery. Indeed, the iconography is confronted with the very precise data relating to the material culture (mainly from lake shores). This confrontation seems to allow an understanding of uses and knowledge of nature within alpine societies of Final Neolithic.
During the three first years of my PhD I taught at the University of Provence on the methods in archaeological science, cartography, computer aided drawing for archaeology, and Neolithic ceramics. I now give some lectures on the study of rock art.
Since 2008 I have participated in the southern French Alps project directed by Florence Mocci (CCJ / CNRS Aix-en-Provence) and Kevin Walsh (University of York). This project has investigated the archaeology of human activity in the high altitude zone (2000 m and above) in the Ecrins National Park.
Since 2009 I have also been working on the alpine rock art of “les Oullas”, also known as the “Daggers rock” with new software aimed at enhancing colours and bringing out faint paintings invisible to the naked eye.
