Sylvain Lebreton

Sylvain Lebreton serves as a Lecturer in Greek History at the University of Toulouse - Jean Jaurès within the History Department and PLH-Erasmus Laboratory Heritage, Literature, History. His academic trajectory spans multiple institutions including the University of Liège and the University of the Littoral Côte d'Opale, with his current faculty position commencing in 2023 following six years as a postdoctoral researcher in the Mapping Ancient Polytheism ERC program.

Dr. Lebreton's research centers on Greek religion across the longue durée, particularly examining structures and dynamics of polytheisms through divine onomastics (theonyms, epithets) during Classical and Hellenistic periods. His methodological approach uniquely combines traditional philological analysis with innovative digital humanities applications. His scholarly output reveals consistent focus on epigraphy, history of Greek cities, and the intersection of religion with political and social structures in ancient Greece.

Recent publications demonstrate evolving research interests in sanctuary management from ecological perspectives, divine ubiquity through onomastic attributes, and decision-making processes involving divine consultation in Athenian democracy. His work bridges conventional historical inquiry with cutting-edge database development, most notably through his coordination of the Data Bank of Greek Epicleses (BDEG) since 2013.

• ERC 74118 Mapping Ancient Polytheism project (2017-2023)
• IN BeIPD COFUND postdoctoral fellowship at University of Liège (2014-2016)
• Ongoing collaboration with Dodona On Line (DOL) project since 2015

Dr. Lebreton maintains active leadership in digital humanities initiatives through his coordination of the BDEG research program and contributions to the Dodona On Line project. These collaborative efforts have produced significant scholarly resources for researchers studying ancient Mediterranean religions, particularly through the development of structured databases mapping divine epithets and religious practices across the ancient Greek world.