Email: pc529@cam.ac.uk

http://www.arch.cam.ac.uk/directory/pc529

https://cambridge.academia.edu/PetrosChatzimpaloglou

I received my BSc in Geology and my MSc in Geoarchaeology from the University of Athens. My specialism is in the scientific sourcing of stone artefacts, whose origin cannot be identified through other means. Each stone or stone material has specific characteristics, relating to their place of extraction. Using both new and traditional geological methods these characteristics can be recorded and the correlation between sources and stone materials established.

I am now doing my PhD study at the University of Cambridge, supervised by Prof. Charles French and Dr. Simon Stoddart. This study is part of the FRAGSUS project, which is investigating to what extent the Maltese islands were laboratories of human activity and, in my case, their degree of connectivity with the larger island of Sicily. The wider project investigates the Stone Temples in Malta, in order to identify the circumstances under which these unique monuments were built.

My research focuses on investigating the source of chert artefacts found in many prehistoric sites in Maltese islands, such as the Brochtorff Xaghra Circle (funerary site), Tac Cawla (settlement) and Santa Verna and Ggantija (‘temples’). Although these stone artefacts have been studied in the past, the research on their sources has not been conclusive. Therefore, I aim to investigate the chert sources in Malta and Sicily and re-examine the chert assemblages from these prehistoric sites. Using geological/petrological research techniques on both chert outcrops and chert artefacts, I am confident that I will present conclusive evidence on which were the exact sources of these artefacts.

My broader interests are the protection and restoration of archaeological sites and monuments, as well as the enhancement of cultural heritage. I am interested in using my expertise, especially on the petrology and mineralogy of stone material, to contribute to these fields.