Tatiana Theodoroupoulo

I am a zooarchaeologst, specialised in the study of marine animal remains (fish bones, invertebrate shells) found in archaeological sites. Having grown up along the shores of the Aegean Sea and immersed in a civilization that has always been renowned for its maritime identity, I became interested in the interaction of past Mediterranean communities with marine ecosystems over the long term. Archaeological fish skeletons and invertebrate shells are not only remnants of past fisheries exploitation, but also valuable paleoenvironmental archives. I use these direct witnesses to past marine environments to examine the relationship between man and sea from an environmentalist and culturalist perspective. I question the resistance or resilience of past societies to the evolution of ecosystems through activities directly linked to the sea, such as fishing and shell-gathering. What role did marine resources play in prehistoric and historical Mediterranean societies? What exploitation strategies were implemented? And, above all, how have they varied under the impact of natural and cultural changes? All these questions are in the center of the MERMAID project. As PI of the project, I work tightly will all the collaborators involved in all the work packages and also co-supervise our PhD students. I am particularly keen in disseminating the results of our research to the policy makers and wider public. I strongly believe that the insight from the past, namely the reconstruction of past, healthier marine baselines as well as the rediscovery of more sustainable fishing practices, may provide a lesson to follow for the sake of our currently endangered oceans and marine ecosystems.