This dissertation consists of three articles that develop and implement geoarchaeological approaches to the study of hominin biogeography in the Greek islands, a region that may have played a key role during the initial peopling of southeastern Europe in the Middle to Late Pleistocene (770 – 13 ka). The first article addresses the need to find Palaeolithic sites in the Greek islands by reviewing geoarchaeologically informed archaeological surveys that prioritize deposits – Pleistocene sediments and soils – on mainland Greece. I operationalize and implement a four-phase approach for future deposit-centered surveys in the islands. I conclude that future surveys should target geomorphic settings conducive to paleosol preservation, such as in near-shore coastal areas (e.g., uplifted hillslopes and actively eroding alluvial fans) marked by paleo-sea-level-indicators (sea notches, marine terraces, and aeolianites), as well as sediment depo-centers (e.g., internally drained basins) in non-coastal geomorphic settings. The second article develops and employs a multiscalar geoarchaeological approach for investigating and interpreting complex hillslope formation processes at the newly excavated Palaeolithic site of Stelida, located on the island of Naxos, Greece. Here, I integrate traditional geoarchaeological methods (lithostratigraphy, pedostratigraphy, allostratigraphy) with microarchaeological techniques, such as thin-section soil micromorphology and portable x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (pXRF) to separate sediments and soils aiding in the construction of a stratigraphic framework for Stelida.The third article further develops the method of integrating pXRF and soil micromorphology applied at the site-specific scale. In this article, I developed an Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis (ESDA) method for visualizing geochemistry-facies relationships through the application of pXRF to a resin-impregnated block sample preserving an Archaic (seventh century BCE) ash midden (eschara) from the site of Kalopodi, Greece.This dissertation addresses a primary research effort in Greece’s Aegean Basin (Greek islands): the search for and study of Palaeolithic archaeology dating to Middle and Late Pleistocene. Geoarchaeologically informed research designs, such as deposit-centered surveys in open-air environments, can increase Palaeolithic site inventories for the region by focusing on finding geomorphic settings conducive to paleosol preservation. Moreover, the multi-scalar geoarchaeological approaches here, which integrate sedimentology, pedology, micromorphology, and geochemistry, provide an effective approach for the identification and compositional (mineralogic and geochemical) study of paleosols within those settings.

Notion universelle transcendant les cadres spatio-temporels, la toilette apparaît comme l’interface entre la manifestation du rapport intime de l’homme avec son corps et celle d’un système sociétal normatif, car elle traduit un besoin de maîtrise de l’apparence et d’appartenance à un groupe social. Le corps à la fois moyen et résultat de ces pratiques ne correspond plus à un modèle de référence sur lequel peut s’appuyer l’étude de ces sociétés du passé, nous poussant à nous tourner vers des manifestations matérielles pour tenter de définir des gestes et des intentions. Guidés par l’ensemble des données disponibles, archéologiques, iconographiques et épigraphiques nous nous proposons de définir les pratiques de la toilette et leurs rôles dans les sociétés égéennes de l’Âge du Bronze en croisant les données. Une enquête préalable sur les ustensiles utilisés et les moyens matériels, tant dans une approche analytique qu’historiographique, a été nécessaire afin de dégager leurs caractéristiques et de clarifier les données. La confrontation des objets de toilette avec leurs environnements de découverte a permis de mettre en évidence leur présence dans des lieux spécifiques révélant des pratiques qui dépassent l’idée d’une simple toilette quotidienne et qui dévoilent surtout l’intérêt porté à ces objets en tant que biens identitaires et de prestige. L’observation d’autres sources informatives complètent cette approche en permettant d’accéder à des notions plus abstraites relatives aux intentions. Cette étude s’inscrit dans une archéologie sociale destinée à saisir les éléments d’une histoire socioculturelle du corps et de ses manifestations pour une approche anthropologique. / Toiletry consists of a universal feature across periods and geographies. It is the articulation between the intimate relationship of one with one’s body and the necessity of conformity to a defined set of social rules; personal care and body alterations show the need to control one’s image and, consequently, the affirmation of belonging to a specific social group. As both the vehicle and the result of such practices, the body alone cannot be considered as a satisfactory study subject in order to understand past societies. Therefore, toiletries, as material expressions of body care, come as essential complementary elements to define gestures and intentions. Based on the cross analysis of archaeological, iconographic and epigraphic data currently available, our study aims at defining personal care practices and their meaning within the societies of the Aegean basin during the Bronze Age. Based on a preliminary survey of the objects used, and following an analytical and historiographic approach, our work presents toiletry items within the environment where they were discovered: the presence of such objects in specific locations shows that body care practices went far beyond a simple daily hygiene routine and emphasises the social meanings of toiletries, which were also marks of prestige and of identity. The study of complementary sources introduces more abstract notions regarding the intentions. This study in social archaeology is intended as a contribution to a socio-cultural history of the body and of its expressions within an anthropological approach.