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Updated on: 13/07/2023
María Ángeles Medina Alcaide is currently a Marie Sklodowska-Curie postdoctoral fellow at the Prehistory to Present Time: Culture, Environment, Anthropology (PACEA) laboratory of the University of Bordeaux.
Mª Ángeles Medina Alcaide arrived in Bordeaux in October 2022 for a two-year stay. After obtaining a Master degree in history from the University of Córdoba (Spain), she pursued a PhD in archaeology at the University of the Basque Country (Spain), and now specialises in the study of prehistoric combustion residues.
The Prehistory to Present Time: Culture, Environment, Anthropology (PACEA) laboratory is the ideal host institution to carry out my postdoctoral research project. The laboratory is a leading research unit in the interdisciplinary study of Palaeolithic caves, with more than 50 years of experience, 120 researchers and over 200 publications on the subject. It also hosts several projects studying caves that are essential to our understanding of subterranean behaviour in prehistory, such as the Bruniquel and Cussac caves (under the direction of J. Jaubert), which I am fortunate enough to include in my research project.
The choice of the PACEA laboratory for the development of my project is also explained in particular by the presence of Catherine Ferrier, professor at the University of Bordeaux in the field of geosciences.
Her research focuses on the taphonomic study of the floors and walls of the Palaeolithic caves of Bruniquel, Cussac, Chauvet and Commarque, among others, with specific emphasis on the thermal traces left by fire. She also has extensive experience in the experimental monitoring of these fires and in their archaeometric analysis.
For all these reasons, Prof. Ferrier is the ideal person to supervise my research and to guide me throughout my postdoctoral training. In addition to being an excellent researcher, she is very accessible and facilitated my integration in the laboratory and in the city.
My objectives for this stay are multiple:
1) Carry out my Marie Sklodowska-Curie postdoctoral fellowship. My research project is entitled "Archaeology of Light" (A-LIGHT) and aims to study early human behaviour inside caves by examinig the residues left by the lighting systems used by Palaeolithic groups to enter the underground world (a world of total darkness).
2) Expand my international research networks. My host laboratory boasts one of the largest communities of researchers dedicated to the study of prehistoric societies in the world.
3) Get to know the beautiful city of Bordeaux and improve my French!
Bordeaux is a beautiful city. I love the green areas, the parks, the lakes, the promenade along the river... They are great places to walk dogs, go for a run, disconnect... I also love the amount of people who move around by bike and public transport, although there is always traffic. The food and wine are also exceptional. A classic!
Bordeaux is a beautiful city. I love the green areas, the parks, the lakes, the promenade along the river... They are great places to walk dogs, go for a run, disconnect....
I think I have improved my French and learned another way of carrying out research. I really like the fact that people here respect rest hours and holidays more than in Spain, and I notice less competition in research than in my home country. This may be because there is more investment in research and less competition, but in any case, it has been a very productive experience so far both at work and personally.
