Francesc Burjachs

Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social

Humanities

Born on 3rd August 1955 in Blanes, Catalonia. Dissertation on Paleopalynology, Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB, 1985). DEA on Quaternary, MNHN-IPH, Paris (1986). PhD in Biological Sciences (UAB, 1990). Contributor of the Botany Department (UAB, 1979-1990). Director and co-director of several archaeological excavations. Hired researcher at Institute of Earth Sciences Jaume Almera, CSIC, Barcelona (1990-1998). Research Assistant at Catholic University of Louvain-La-Neuve (1994). Associate Professor at University Rovira i Virgili (URV), Tarragona since 1998. ICREA Research Professor at URV (2001-2007) and at the Catalan Institute of Human Palaeoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES) since 2008. Training stages of palynological research abroad: CRA, Sophia Antipolis, France (1978) with Prof. M. Girard; IPH, Paris (1985-1987) with Prof. J. Renault-Miskovsky, and University La Sapienza, Roma (1991) with Prof. M. Follieri. He has published more than 340 papers and reports.


Research interests

My investigation seeks to understand the climatic changes that happened along human evolution. This information is important to appreciate some of the factors which have influenced our evolution towards the current species. More precisely, my work is developed in the science of Palynology, which basically consists in the study of the fossil pollen trapped in the soil that our ancestors stepped on. In this way, we can describe the landscape in which they lived, the climate they endured, the vegetables they ate, etc.

Selected publications

- Burjachs F, Pérez-Obiol R, Picornell Ll, Revelles J, Servera G, Expósito I & Yll EI 2017, ‘Overview of environmental changes and human colonization in the Balearic Islands (Western Mediterranean) and their impacts on vegetation composition during the Holocene’, Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, vol 12, 782-793.

- Revelles J, Burjachs F, Morera N et al 2017, ‘Use of space and site formation processes in a Neolithic lakeside settlement. Pollen and non-pollen palynomorphs spatial analysis in La Draga (Banyoles, NE Iberia)’, Journal of Archaeological Science, vol. 81, pp 101-115.

- Expósito I, Burjachs F & Alluè E 2017, 'Filling the gaps: the Non Pollen Palynomorphs contribution to the knowledge of Sierra de Atapuerca caves local environment during the Pleistocene', Quaternary International, vol. 433, pp. 224-242.

- Expósito I, Burjachs F & Vergès JM 2017, ‘Human trace on the landscape during the Holocene at El Mirador Cave (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain): The palynological evidence’, The Holocene,  vol 27 (8), 1201-1213.

- Sánchez-Goñi MF, Desprat S, Daniau A-L, Bassinot F, Blaauw M, Burjachs F et al 2017, ‘The ACER pollen and charcoal database: a global resource to document vegetation and fire response to abrupt climate changes during the last glacial period’, Earth System Scientific Data, 9, 679-695.

- Hardy K, Radini A, Buckley S, Blasco R, Copeland L, Burjachs F, Girbal J, Yll R, Carbonell E & Bermúdez-de Castro JM 2017, 'Diet and environment 1.2 million years ago revealed through analysis of dental calculus from Europe’s oldest hominin at Sima del Elefante, Spain', The Science of Nature - Naturwissenschaften, vol 104, no. 1, pp 2.

- Huguet R, Vallverdú J, Rodríguez XP, Terradillos M, Bargalló A, Lombera A, Menéndez L, Modesto M, Van der Made J, Burjachs F, Bermúdez-de Castro JM, Carbonell et al 2017, ‘Level TE9c of Sima del Elefante (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain): A comprehensive approach’, Quaternary International, vol 433, 278-295.