MARE Project
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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
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
❗ 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
In the case of ritual practice, some sarcophagi possess attached altars upon which we can actually identify traces of burned offerings. I am particularly interested in reconciling artistic and archaeological approaches to reconstruct funerary customs and how they were experienced spatially.
April 30, 2025 at 9:51 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