British School at Athens : Fitch Bursary Holder

Mara Lou Schumacher

Newcastle University

M.L.Schumacher2@newcastle.ac.uk

Research

As a geoarchaeologist, I am interested in the interaction between humans and the natural environment. My research focuses on settlement contexts in the Mediterranean and ranges from the Neolithic to Greek and Roman antiquity. I am primarily interested in microarcheological approaches which is why I am currently specializing in soil micromorphology and geochemistry.

Project

I am based at Newcastle University where I am currently undertaking a PhD project on the organization and use of space in ancient Greek households. My project uses an interdisciplinary approach combining geoarchaeological methods, archaeological artefact data and Classical texts to better understand how domestic space was used in Greek Antiquity. My case study is the Classical city of Olynthos in Northern Greece, occupied during the 5th and 4th century BC. Known for its outstandingly preserved houses and settlement patterns, it is the ideal case study to investigate how domestic space was used. My key method is soil micromorphology which I use primarily to identify and characterize ancient floors and occupation deposits. The microstratigraphic observations will be integrated with geochemical data to differentiate anthropogenic from natural processes. Investigating the domestic space provides a detailed picture of activities within households but also gives a better understanding of social relations and interactions between households and neighbourhoods in Greek antiquity. Moreover, my project contributes to the integration of geoarchaeological approaches into Classical Archaeology.