Yannis Chatzikonstantinou

My PhD dissertation is about the effect of fire on human remains in Prehistoric Crete through macroscopic and analytical methods. My research interest is about the deciphering of the funerary practice of cremation and the understanding of the role of the fire in the manipulation of the deceased, focusing on three main goals: 1. Identification of the biological attributes of the people whose bodies were subjected to burning, 2. Examination of the taphonomy and macroscopic recording of the thermal alterations on the bone structure due to the burning, 3. Application of analytical methods to record the compositional and microstructural osseous changes of burned bones.

My PhD research is funded by the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation, while the Research Committee of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, honoured me with the Humanities Award of Excellence for PhD Candidates. Moreover, I am a scientific member of the Technology and bio-anthropology of the use of FiRe on human remains in the Aegean project, supervised by Sevi Triantaphyllou and a scientific collaborator of Koumasa Archaeological Project, directed by Diamantis Panagiotopoulos, University of Heidelberg, Germany.