MARE Project
banner
mareproject.bsky.social
MARE Project
@mareproject.bsky.social
Mortuary Archaeology in the Roman East: a five year project investigating mortuary rituals in the Near East (1st c. BCE - 4th c. CE). Housed at University of Groningen @rug.nl - funded by NWO.

For previous activities see our archive on X: @MARE_Project
Congratulations to MARE postdoc Tamara, who has her co-authored chapter 'The Cities of the Dead' published! 🥳

In print soon: Dijkstra, T. & Borbonus, D. (2025). The Cities of the Dead. In P. Davies, & C. Williamson (Eds.), The Cambridge Urban History of Europe: Ancient Europe (Vol. 1, pp. 696-716)
November 12, 2025 at 11:19 AM
Looking back on a fruitful Necropoleis Research Network Annual meeting, held in the Archaeological Museum of Chania, Crete ☀️So many inspiring presentations and conversations. Huge thanks to all organizers, speakers and attendees 🙌 Until next year!
October 28, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Only one week until the Necropoleis Research Network Annual Meeting – and we’re excited to see a programme packed with inspiring themes to be explored! Looking forward to an Annual Meeting that connects scholars from across the field, fosters the exchange of ideas, and sparks new collaborations ✨
October 18, 2025 at 7:17 AM
📣 MARE Publication Grant reminder! The selection committee meets again on 30 October, so make sure to apply before then :)
❗ Did you know that we have a MARE Publication Grant? Check out www.rug.nl/MARE-publica... for more information!
October 8, 2025 at 8:27 AM
Tomorrow, prof. Jonathan Prag will give a lecture on the impact of Roman colonialism on Sicily, with a focus on epigraphic evidence. We are looking forward to it!
September 22, 2025 at 11:08 AM
The call for papers for the Necropoleis Research Network (NRN) Annual Meeting in Crete, 24-26 October 2025, is out! The MARE project offers travel grants for scholars presenting on funerary materials of the Roman Near East - visit our site www.rug.nl/MARE-Travel-Grant for more information
June 5, 2025 at 12:05 PM
🚨Publication alert!

Want to learn more about cremation and identity in Roman Beirut? Check out this new article by Vana Kalenderian and colleagues. Highly recommended - a very interesting read!

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Written in ‘her’ bones: Cremation and identity in Roman Beirut
At the time of its annexation in the 1st c. BC, cremation was not a customary practice in the Roman province of Syria. This contrasts with the western…
www.sciencedirect.com
May 13, 2025 at 9:22 AM
❗ Did you know that we have a MARE Publication Grant? Check out www.rug.nl/MARE-publica... for more information!
May 9, 2025 at 9:43 AM
Nicholas presented about Tyrian sarcophagi at the Graduate Archaeology Oxford conference this week - and discovered this sarcophagus at Blenheim Palace. It depicts Dionysus, Ariadne, Herakles, and Dionysiac thiasos. The scene was a favourite of the Romans, exclaiming 'Enjoy life while you can!' ✨
May 1, 2025 at 9:57 AM
Today, PhD candidate Nicholas Aherne will introduce himself! His PhD is entitled 'Encoffined Bodies: on the Role of Decorated Sarcophagi in the Funerary Customs of Roman-period Phoenicia' 🔽
April 30, 2025 at 9:47 AM
To start, we'd like to introduce one of the MARE PhD candidates: John Turco! John is working on his thesis entitled, Rituals in Space: Reconstructing Funerary Rituals through Gifts and Bones. Read more about his research in the replies ⬇️
April 16, 2025 at 1:44 PM
Hi all! We are still quite new here, but starting to find our way round BlueSky. Be sure to check in, as we will introduce our team members in the next weeks. Looking forward to meet you all! :)
April 16, 2025 at 9:54 AM
Reposted by MARE Project
The sixth NINO Annual Meeting is held on Thursday 30 January at the University of Groningen. Theme: Heritage and politics in the Middle East: historical perspectives.

To register, please send an email to ninoconf25@gmail.com

Full program: https://buff.ly/42iqdkb
January 17, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Hello all!
We are the MARE (Mortuary Archaeology of the Roman East) project at the University of Groningen, and we are happy to join Bluesky! We will share updates about our research, grants, publications and more here – but check out our website as well:
www.rug.nl/research/gro...
MARE - Mortuary Archaeology of the Roman East (Dutch Research Council – VICI)
www.rug.nl
January 6, 2025 at 2:18 PM