My PhD at ISEM focuses on the biological and cultural heritage of the olive tree in the Mediterranean Occitanie and related territories, adopting a combined archaeobiological, eco-historical, biogeographical and evolutionary approach. The olive tree, as a key symbol of Mediterranean identity, plays a central role in the region’s economy and agrosystems, with over 100 varieties grown in France. My aim is firstly to characterise the diversity of the olive tree from Neolithic times to the present day, using genetic and morphometric data, while also clarifying its biogeographical history in France and beyond. My research also focuses on the biological, ecological and human mechanisms (practices, uses, trade and commerce, etc.) involved in the cultivation, domestication and diversification of the olive tree.
My PhD is at the heart of the DEMETER ERC project (PI : A. Evin) and the PATRIMOLEA project (PI : J.-F. Terral), which aims to link the present and the past of Mediterranean Occitania and related areas by helping to reveal, promote and enhance the exceptional archaeological, historical, cultural, biological and socio-economic heritage of the olive tree.