Paul Bacoup. Paul (PhD in Protohistoric Archaeology, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne) is a postdoctoral researcher at UCLouvain (INCAL, CEMA, AegIS). As both an archaeologist and archaeobotanist, his research focuses on wood as a construction material. His investigations are structured around three main questions: What were the technical traditions in the use of wood in the Aegean-Balkan region between the onset of the Neolithic (ca. 7000–6500 BCE) and the end of the Bronze Age (ca. 1100 BCE)? What economic strategies did these societies develop for the management of their timber resources? How did the social status of woodworkers—such as loggers and carpenters—evolve over time within this cultural sphere? These questions unfold into a wide range of research issues that, through the study of woodworking techniques and operational sequences, shed light on aspects of the socio-political and economic organization of Aegean-Balkan protohistoric societies, while also considering their interaction with the environment.

Grounded in an interdisciplinary approach (technological analysis, archaeobotany, and experimental archaeology), his work builds on both doctoral and postdoctoral research conducted within this chrono-cultural framework. This includes fieldwork at sites such as Petko Karavelovo and Hotnitsa in Bulgaria, Dikili Tash in northern Greece, and Sissi and Malia in Crete. His research also extends to collaborative projects in France on Mesolithic and Neolithic woodworking, particularly concerning prehistoric boats and navigation in Western Europe during the Late Prehistory (10,000–3000 BCE).

Since 2025, he has been working at Sissi, where he studies architectural materials and has been responsible for parts of Zones 10 and 6 during the 2025 excavation campaign.

AegIS personal page: https://site.minoan-aegis.net/members/paul-bacoup

ORCID profile: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8029-670X