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ULB Formation continue Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences FC-615

Certificate in Archeological Soil Micromorphology and Phytolith Analysis

Certificate in Archeological Soil Micromorphology and Phytolith Analysis

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  • Programme title
    Certificate in Archeological Soil Micromorphology and Phytolith Analysis
  • Programme mnemonic
    FC-615
  • Programme organised by
    • ULB Formation continue
    • Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences
  • Title type
    formation continue
  • Open to returning students
    yes
  • Schedule type
    Daytime
  • Languages of instruction
    english
  • Programme duration
    short (2 to 5 days)
  • Category / Topic
    Human and social sciences - History, history of art, and archaeology

Presentation

Details

General information

Title type

formation continue

Programme duration

short (2 to 5 days)

Learning language(s)

english

Schedule type

Daytime

Category(ies) - Topic(s)

Human and social sciences - History, history of art, and archaeology

Organising faculty(s) and university(ies) Open to returning students

yes

Formation continue

Presentation

This training aims to provide participants with the basic skills required for performing a comprehensive micromorphological study.

Participants will learn:

  • the basic principles of soil micromorphology and phytolith studies

  • how to perform microscopic observations on soil thin sections

  • how to describe soil thin sections and interpret their observations

  • how to integrate their data within the larger framework of geoarcheological studies

Participants will gain highly-demanded skills in the field of professional modern archeology, especially as far as contractual and preventive archeology are concerned.

The programme combines formal (ex-cathedra) lectures and intensive microscopy sessions. During the microscopy sessions, participants perform microscopy observations on archeological soil thin sections, learning how to describe soil thin sections and to interpret the observations.

Calendar & registration

Calendar & registration

Programme

Micromorphology and phytolith studies are becoming prevalent disciplines in archeology. However, specialised trainings in this field are scarce in Europe.

Micromorphology studies sediments and archeological soil at the microscopic level. It focuses on the formation processes of deposits and archeological sites in order to better understand both human activity and the human/landscape interactions.

Phytoliths are vegetal microfossils.Their accumulation in vegetal tissues, deposition and preservation in archeological depots vary from that of other vegetal markers. They can be preserved in environments where other botanical remains can not usually be preserved.

The CreA-Patrimoine team has developed unique and specialised expertise combining a micromorphologic approach with phytolith analysis. It sheds a new light on archeological stratigraphy and the identifcation of human activity.