Dr. Elisavet Stamataki
Postdoctoral researcher Ghent University
Former teammembers
Visiting & international researchers
Biography
I am a postdoctoral researcher at Ghent University in the BOF project ''An archaeometric study of Balearic limeburials. Analyzing an enigmatic funerary practice of the Balearic protohistoric communities''. I am holding a joint PhD from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB). My doctoral research, conducted within the CRUMBEL project and funded by an FWO PhD fellowship, examined the development and specialization of cremation practices in Belgium from the Metal Ages to the Roman period under the title “Death and Fire: Investigating Changes and Specialisation in Cremation Practices in Belgium through Time and Space.” Using a multi-proxy analytical framework, I combined FTIR-ATR, isotope analyses (δ¹³C, δ¹⁸O, ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, δ⁸⁸Sr), strontium concentrations, and experimental archaeology to investigate technological choices, fuel use, mobility, and transformations in cremation rituals.
Prior to my PhD, I completed an MSc in Human Osteology and Palaeopathology (with Distinction) at the University of Bradford, UK, supported by the Lilian Voudouri Scholarship, where I applied stable isotope analysis (δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N) to reconstruct medieval diet in Spain. I also hold an MA in Prehistoric Archaeology from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, where I studied human skeletal remains from a collective Mycenaean chamber tomb near the palace of Dimini.
Within the Balearic Limeburials project, I am responsible for designing and implementing laboratory and experimental research to investigate the interaction between limestone and human remains in Iron Age funerary contexts. My role focuses on developing experimental protocols, conducting archaeometric analyses, and integrating bioarchaeological and geochemical data to understand the way cremation was performed and to refine interpretations of mortuary practices in the Balearic islands.
Education
- Joint PhD in Art Studies & Archaeology: Cultural Heritage Studies (Vrije Universiteit Brussels) & Biological Anthropology (Université Libre de Bruxelles), 2025
- MA Prehistoric Archaeology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 2020
- MSc Human Osteology and Palaeopathology, University of Bradford, 2018
- BA History and Archaeology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 2015
Keywords
- Bioarchaeology
- Isotopic Analyses (C, N, O, S, Sr)
- Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR)
- X-ray Diffraction (XRD)
- Osteology/Palaeopathology
- Funerary practices
Key Publications
- Gerritzen, C.T., Stamataki, E., Goderis, S., Van Ham-Meert, A., Griffith, J.I., Gorissen, K., Snoeck, C., accepted. Strontium, fire, and bones: 87Sr/86Sr and δ88Sr remain unaffected in bone heated up to 1400 °C. Journal of Archaeological Science. Journal of Archaeological Science 187, 106488. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2026.106488
- Stamataki, E., Gerritzen, C.T., Van Ham-Meert, A., Griffith, J.I., De Mulder, G., Vercauteren, M., Snoeck, C., 2025. High-temperature transformation of bioapatite to β-tricalcium phosphate: Structural and isotopic changes in cortical bone up to 1400 °C. Ceramics International 51(25A), 44205-44217. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2025.07.151
- Becerra Fuello, P., Aranda Jiménez, G., Vilchez Suárez, M., Robles Carrasco, S., Milesi García, L., Díaz-Zorita Bonilla, M., Snoeck, C., Stamataki, E., Lescure, J., Sánchez Romero, M., 2025. Funerary practices of cremation at the megalithic societies of South-Eastern Iberia: The cemetery of Los Milanes. PLOS One 20 (9), e0330771. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0330771
- Stamataki, E., De Mulder, G., Hermans, R., Vercauteren, M., Snoeck, C., 2025. The seasonality experiment: Investigating how seasons affect the burning conditions of cremations. PLOS One 20 (7), e0327478. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0327478
- Stamataki, E., Salesse, K., Capuzzo, G., Kontopoulos, I., Hlad, M., Dalle, S., Sabaux, C., Veselka, B., Annaert, R., Boudin, M., Claeys, P., Sengeløv, A., Vercauteren, M., Warmenbol, E., Cleas, B., Destexhe, G., Cattelain, L., Willems, S., De Mulder, G., Snoeck, C., 2025. The Roman way: Investigating the cremation conditions during the Roman period in Belgium using a multi-proxy and multi-sampling approach. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 105156. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105156
- Frère, A., Löffelmann, T., Veselka, B., Stamataki, E., Sengeløv, A., James, H.F., De Mulder, G., Claes, B., de Backer, F., Snoeck, C., 2025. Reconstructing Life Histories: New Insights into Cremation Practices, Mobility, and Food Consumption Patterns Through Isotope and Infrared Analyses of Petrous Parts and Teeth. American Journal of Biological Anthropology 187 (1), e70058. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.70058