Simon Jusseret

Letesson, Q and Jusseret, S. (2017). 'The Maison du Mage Project: Surveying Contemporary Assemblages', in Clashes of Time. The Contemporary Past as a Challenge for Archaeology, edited by J.-M. Blaising, J. Driessen, J.-P. Legendre et L. Olivier. Louvain-la-Neuve: Presses Universitaires de Louvain: 79-120.

This article presents our encounter with the Maison du Mage, an abandoned house in the village of Marsal (Lorraine, France). While highlighting the particular history of the building and the constitution of its complex assemblages, the paper first and foremost aims to address the methodological challenges raised by the shifting nature of this contemporary ruin. It presents the results of our preliminary forays within the house and discusses the difficulty of untangling the material and temporal imbroglio characterizing it. On this basis, the article also provides a general research template which may be of use beyond our particular case study, and may help to stimulate debates on archaeological praxis and encourage a more transparent and systematic appraisal of the practical confrontation with contemporary assemblages.

This paper presents the latest findings of multidisciplinary research into the human— environment relationship of intensive Iron Age salt production in the Upper Seille Valley, Lorraine, northeast France. Investigations focus on the early Iron Age workshop " La Digue " (~625—500 cal BCE; Hallstatt D1—2), where high-resolution 2 borehole sampling has been coupled with conventional excavation and geophysical surveying to establish direct linkages between intensive occupation and the alluvial environment of this site. Detailed insights into human—river interactions have been identified, enhancing current understanding of the environmental context and impact of this important early industry. The workshop's palaeogeographic setting has been reconstructed and new evidence for briquetage disposal practices has been identified, confirming that a close relationship existed between salt-making and the local hydrological regime. A large volume of briquetage waste (broken clay-fired salt-making equipment, ash and charcoal) was dumped into the river at La Digue, causing rapid and deliberate channel blockage, increasing the distance between the workshop and the river. This probably contributed to a localised increase in channel mobility and/or flooding whilst the workshop was active, producing challenging conditions for salt production. The workshop was abandoned following an intense flood event in ~ 500 cal BCE, coinciding with a major hydrological shift towards wetter floodplain conditions, likely arising from a combination of natural and anthropogenic factors. This study demonstrates the importance of understanding the environmental context of salt production and the roles of water management and briquetage disposal practices, which have been largely overlooked at other intensive salt making sites that employed the " briquetage technique " .

ABSTRACT. The Quaternary deposits of the Hanoi area have been investigated in order to provide information required for the design of a groundwater-flow model. Limited sedimentological data exist from 32 destructive drillings carried out previously in the study area. The data base ...

... Conférence : “BELQUA 2010 Annual Scientific Workshop”, Bruxelles (02/03/2010). Source : Simon Jusseret, David Kaniewski, Cécile Baeteman, Jan Driessen ; “Holocene fluvial sedimentation and human activities in the coastal valley of Sissi, northern Crete”. Lien(s). ...

ABSTRACT. The Quaternary deposits of the Hanoi area have been investigated in order to provide information required for the design of a groundwater-flow model. Limited sedimentological data exist from 32 destructive drillings carried out previously in the study area. The data base ...

Le processus de romanisation en Crète est abordé par l’intermédiaire d’une analyse iconographique et iconologique de deux statues cuirassées attribuées à l’empereur Hadrien, l’une découverte à Gortyne, l’autre à Knossos. La confrontation de cette analyse avec les contextes archéologique, épigraphique et historique des deux principales poleis crétoises permet de jeter un éclairage nouveau sur la réception de la politique de l’empereur en Crète, connaît plus de statues cuirassées d’Hadrien que dans aucune autre région de l’Empire oriental. À Gortyne, capitale provinciale et membre du Panhellenion, la statue cuirassée semble ainsi honorer le compromis culturel incarné par Hadrien, à la fois respectueux des traditions et propagateur de l’hellénisme. À Knossos, unique colonie crétoise, la statue de l’empereur exalte quant à elle la facette conservatrice et traditionaliste du princeps. Un passé de résistance à Rome, ainsi que l’attrait de nouvelles perspectives économiques offertes par l’Empire, semblent refléter les choix iconographiques de la statue de Knossos.

The site of Pyla-Kokkinokremos, located ca. 15 km east of Larnaka along the coast of Cyprus, represents a singularly short-lived settlement in the island’s Late Bronze Age history. Established only a generation or so prior to its eventual abandonment in the early 12th c. BC, the settlement is a valuable ‘time capsule’ of the Late Cypriot IIC/IIIA (1230-1170 BC) critical phase.

Located on the southeast coast of Cyprus, Pyla-Kokkinokremos was only founded a few decades prior to its eventual abandonment at the beginning of the 12 th c. BC. This limited occupation makes the site an excellent case study to explore the impact of the so-called crisis years on the island. Since the settlement was never reoccupied and has an overall lifespan of less than fifty years, Pyla's material culture can be considered a 'time capsule' for this LC IIC-IIIA critical phase.

Natural disasters such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, extreme weather events and abrupt climate changes are key agents in transforming landscapes, sometimes in largely irreversible ways. From an archaeological perspective, these sudden and unpredictable events are often investigated as part of an ever-popular 'collapse paradigm' or through the paradigm of long-term evolutionary changes. As a counterpoint, this session aims to explore the impact of natural disasters, and the adaptive responses of affected communities, from a landscape archaeological perspective, understanding landscapes in their physical and socio-cultural dimensions. Instead of traditional categories such as 'continuity' and 'discontinuity', we seek to explore more fluid concepts of vulnerability, resilience, cultural change and risk reduction, focusing primarily on how adaptive strategies adopted in the aftermath of natural disasters impacted the cultural and physical fabric of landscapes. We particularly welcome contributions that highlight the creative role played by natural disasters in shaping cultural landscapes, either as 'windows of opportunity' or 'exploitation' (allowing the emergence and proliferation of alternative lifeways), 'stimuli to innovations' (providing new material conditions amenable to the development of innovative ideas) or 'teachable moments' and 'learning reviews' (allowing societies to reflect on their own practices, infrastructures and vulnerabilities). We invite papers that take account of the varied aspects of disaster archaeological research, bringing together case studies, methodological approaches and theoretical perspectives without geographical or chronological restrictions. We also encourage contributions showcasing ideas and reflections on the possible role of archaeological approaches to contemporary risk assessment and hazard communication in disaster-prone regions. Session participants will be invited to contribute to a collective scientific article focused on the creative impacts of natural disasters on ancient societies and the landscapes they inhabited.

Following its initial recognition in 2011, the excavation of the Minoan Ceremonial Center at Sissi (Kinotita Vrachasiou, Mirabello, Lassithi, Crete) continued for three campaigns, in 2015, 2016 and 2017. By the end of the 2017 campaign, most of the plastered Central Court and large parts of the east, north and west wings of the complex were uncovered but only the north boundary has been securely identified. While some parts of the east wing were reoccupied and remodeled during the Late Minoan III period, the rest of the complex seems largely to date to the Neopalatial period or 17th–16th B.C.E. (MM III–LM IA), although reusing earlier constructions, some of which are Prepalatial (25th century B.C.E.). The presence of Santorini ash in the abandonment levels suggests that the complex had a relatively short life span. The paper will discuss a series of particular architectural features that were found in the last three seasons including: a finely paved road or corridor which leads from the west straight into the court where it is flanked by a large platform and installation; a rectangular ashlar building and adjacent area which seems largely devoted to water collection; and certain other features in and around the central court which potentially suggest a ritual use. Incremental evidence has for a sequence of phases within the Neopalatial building complex will also be presented.