Joan Daura Lujan

Profesor Titular de Universidad

ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-8364-3655
Email: jdaura_lujan@ub.edu

Short biography

I am Senior Lecture (professor Titular de Universidad) in Archaeology at Department of History and Archaeology, University of Barcelona (Spain), where I undertake Palaeolithic archaeological fieldwork. I also teach Prehistory on the Master’s Programme of Advanced Studies in Archaeology and on Degrre in Archaeology (University of Barcelona). I graduated in History and hold a PhD (with European Mention) in Archaeology from the University of Barcelona (2008). I worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Bristol (2008-2010), University of Barcelona (2011-2015), University of Lisbon (2015-2017) and University of Barcelona (2017-2022). I am member of UNIARQ (Centro de Arqueologia da Universidade de Lisboa). I am the author/co-author of more than 150 papers, 70 of them in peer review and indexed journals.

Research interests

Among my research I would highlight papers dedicated to the study of the Palaeolithic hunter-gatherer groups and palaeoenviromental reconstruction.

Selected publications

  • Daura, J.; Sanz, M., Vaquero, M., López-García, J.M., Blain, H.-A., Sánchez Marco, A., 2022. Neanderthal Fossils, Mobile Toolkit and a Hyena Den: The Archaeological Assemblage of Lateral Gallery 1 in Cova Del Gegant (NE Iberian Peninsula). Quaternary 5(1): 12. https://doi.org/10.3390/quat5010012
  • Daura, J.; Sanz, M.; Demuro, M.; Arnold, L.J.; Costa, A.M.; Moreno, J.; da Conceição Freitas, M.; Lopes, V.; Égüez, N.; Hoffmann, D.L.; Benson, A.; Cabanes, D.; García-Targa, J.; Fullola, J.M., 2021. A new chronological framework and site formation history for Cova del Gegant (Barcelona): Implications for Neanderthal and Anatomically Modern Human occupation of NE Iberian Peninsula. Quaternary Science Reviews 107141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2021.107141
  • Daura, J.; Sanz, M. Deschamps, M.; Matias, H.; Igreja, M.; Villaescusa, L.; Gómez, S.; Rubio, A.; Souto, P.; Rodrigues, F.; Zilhão, J.2018. A 400,000-año-old Acheulean assemblage associated with the Aroeira-3 human cranium (Gruta da Aroeira, Almonda karst system, Portugal). Comptes Rendus Paleovol, vol 17 (8), 594-615. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crpv.2018.03.003
  • Daura, J.; Sanz, M.; Allué, E.; Vaquero, M.; López-García, J.M.; Sánchez-Marco, A.; Domènech, R.; Martinell, J.; Carrión, J.S.; Ortiz, J.E;, Torres, T.; Arnold, L.J.; Skinner, A.R.; Julià, R. 2017. Palaeoenvironments of the last Neanderthals in SW Europe (MIS 3): Cova del Coll Verdaguer (Barcelona, NE of Iberian Peninsula). Quaternary Science Reviews, 117: 34-56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2017.10.005
  • Daura, J.; Sanz, M.; Arsuaga, J.L.; Hoffmann, D.L.; Quam, R.; Ortega, M.C.; Santos, E.; Gómez, S.; Rubio, A.; Villaescusa, L.; Souto, P.; Mauricio, J.; Rodrigues, F.; Ferreira, A.; Godinho, P.; Trinkaus, E.; Zilhão, J. 2017. New Middle Pleistocene hominin cranium from Gruta da Aroeira (Portugal). 2017. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences-PNAS: 114(13): 3397-3402. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1619040114

Selected projects

  • T002020N0000045536. Las sociedades cazadoras-recolectoras del Paleolítico superior y los primeros humanos modernos en Portugal. Ministerio de Cultura y Deporte. Dirección General de Bellas Artes. Período: 2020-201. IP: Joan Daura.
  • 2021SGR00337, Grup de Recerca de Qualitat-SERP. Agència de Gestió d’Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca. Generalitat de Catalunya. AGAUR. PI: Xavier Mangado (Universitat de Barcelona). 2022 – 2024.
  • CLT/2022/ARQ001SOLC/128- “Les societats caçadores recol·lectores del paleolític mitjà i superior: estratègies de subsistència i canvis climàtics”. Direcció General del Patrimoni Cultural. Generalitat de Catalunya. 2022-2025. PI: Joan Daura.

  • CLT/009/18/0022. Els canvis climàtics durant el plistocè superior a la costa central catalana i l’impacte en les poblacions neandertals i humans anatòmicament modern. Direcció General del Patrimoni Cultural. Generalitat de Catalunya. Período 2018-2021. PI: Joan Daura (Universitat de Barcelona). Co-PI: M. Sanz.
  • Arqueologia e evolução dos primeiros humanos na fachada Atlántica da Península Ibérica. FCT – FCT. (UNIARQ – Universidade de Lisboa). 01/01/2018-31/12/2020. PI: João Zilhão.

Selected excavations

I am currently involved in several national and international projects. My research has been facilitated by fieldwork undertaken at various sites occupied during the Palaeolithic on the NE of the Iberian Peninsula and the Atlantic façade and involves excavations at the Palaeolithic sites of Lagar Velho (Portugal), Almonda (Portugal) and the Garraf karst system (Spain). Throughout my career I have also been involved in several archaeological field projects, together with members of other universities, which have resulted in the writing of a number of papers focusing on other topics (including, recent Prehistory, landscape archaeology, etc.). I have led an archaeological team working in Palaeolithic studies, directing between 2002 and 2022 fifty-five field excavation seasons as well as acting as scientific coordinator of multidisciplinary studies.

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