Dr. Sylviane Déderix - Projekte

Selection of past and current research projects

Since 2018 – Thorikos Archaeological Project (EBSA; dir. Prof. R. Docter)

Description: The project, which is directed by Prof. R. Docter, is concerned with the excavation, study and publication of the archaeological site of Thorikos (Attica, Greece).

Since 2018 – Networks of interaction in Prepalatial south-central Crete. A methodological proposal (funded by the Alexander von Humboldt foundation)

Description: This postdoctoral research is concerned with changing patterns of social interaction in south-central Crete between the beginning of the Bronze Age and the construction of the First Palace at Phaistos. More specifically, it aims to model the evolution of networks of interaction among the communities that constructed and used circular tombs Crete, as well as between these communities and Phaistos. In order to take account of both the spatial and the relational dimensions of past interactions, it is suggested to develop an interdisciplinary methodology combining the potential of Social Network Analyses and GIS-based simulations of movement.

Since 2016 – Using total viewsheds to evaluate visibility in the placement of Chacoan monumental architecture (PI: K. Dungan; co-PIs: D. White, S. Déderix, B. Mills, K. Safi)

Description: This project relies on the computation of total viewsheds to address two main questions related to the visual environment of Chacoan monumental architecture: 1) To what extent were great houses and other Chacoan structures positioned to maximize their visibility within local landscapes?; 2) Did the choices about visibility made by the builders of great houses change over time and/or differ among regions?

Since 2008 – Sarpedon-The Sissi Archaeological Project (EBSA; dir. Prof. J. Driessen)

Description: The Sissi Archaeological Project, which is directed by Prof. J. Driessen, is concerned with the excavation and study of the Bronze Age cemetery and settlement located on the Kephali hill (Sissi, Crete, Greece).

Tasks: Sylviane Déderix is responsible for the architectural study in the cemetery (Zones 1 and 9); the excavation, study and publication of the north-west wing of the ceremonial building (Zone 11, since 2015); and the excavation, study and publication of the south-western sector of the necropolis (Zone 9, since 2017; with Dr. A. Schmitt).

2008-2014 – PhD research: The Minoan funerary landscape. A study of spatial relationships between the world of the dead and the living in Bronze Age Crete (ca. 3100-1450 BC)

Summary: This PhD research consisted in a GIS-based application on the funerary landscape of Bronze Age Crete. It aimed at shedding light on the parameters at stake in the decision-making process that led to the location of the tombs. A strong emphasis was given to visibility and movement so as to bring the human individual back at the heart of the computer analyses. The research demonstrated the existence of variations in the placement of the different types of tombs, hence stressing the variability of the roles played by cemeteries, burial practices and the dead across the island from the beginning of the Bronze Age until the fall of the Second Palaces.