Guillaume Bruniaux

Archaeological study of a site is based on an excavation which is a comprehensive study on a restricted gap. Before excavation, geophysical survey supplies the possibility to locate an area likely to provide details for the understanding of human settlement. During my PhD, I developed an original magnetic survey protocol to detect pluri-metric and pluri-decimetric structures and a methodological approach to estimate the conservation of an archaeological level occupation. These developments provide maximum information on anthropogenic settlement and to target excavation zone according to the archaeological problem of the site. In coastal environments, and according to the considered chronological period, the environment of human settlements was different. The relatively rapid change in coastal environments results from the rise of sea level since the end of the last glacial maximum. As part of a paleoenvironmental study of a site, the methodological approach developed during my thesis is based on a paleogeographic approach to the site environment using multi-method and multi-scale geophysical surveys. Electromagnetic survey (Slingram), electrical resistivity tomography and direct-push electrical resistivity logging provide a cartographic and stratigraphic representation of the geophysical contrasts of the subsurface. The objective of geophysical survey is similar to that for excavation: locating an area for the implantation of paleoenvironmental coring.