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She has published on rural sarcophagi in Pisidia, Pamphylia, Lycia and continues to study newly discovered examples in this field.

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By investigating these culturally interconnected rural settlements, she highlights the role of regional production, local identities, and cross-cultural interaction in shaping funerary traditions.

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A central aspect of Özdilek’s research is her work on rural sarcophagi produced by local workshops in the Beydağları region, situated at the intersection of Pisidia, Pamphylia, and Lycia.

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The study also addresses family portrait depictions, door motifs, regionally distinctive shield and spear arrangements characteristic of Pisidia, independent stelae, cult areas in rocky landscapes, as well as animal figures, garland reliefs, and Medusa representations.

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It further explores the symbolic and mythological dimensions of funerary art, including iconographic representations on sarcophagi depicting professions, mythological scenes, and cultic imagery with religious object reliefs.

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Her forthcoming publication focuses on the Neapolis necropolis and examines key elements such as Pisidian-type sarcophagi, ostotheks, aedicula/arkosolium tombs, funerary inscriptions, professions, and religious objects.

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Professor Dr. Banu Özdilek, a classical archaeologist at Hatay Mustafa Kemal University since 2012, has been awarded the MARE 2025 Publication Grant for her project titled “Between Mountain and Memory: The Necropolis of Neapolis and the Funerary Landscape of Roman Pisidia.”

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MARE Project @mareproject.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

📣Only two weeks left to apply for the current round of the MARE Publication Grant! www.rug.nl/MARE-Publication-Grant Need some last-minute inspiration? Read all about the work of Banu Özdilek, recipient of the grant in 2025, below 🧵

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New MARE team member!✨ Caroline studies the role of inscriptions in funerary rituals in Pisidia. Her PhD focuses on self-representation in funerary monuments from Thessaloniki, so funerary inscriptions are familiar territory. She's looking forward to exploring the commemorative rituals in Pisidia!

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MARE Project @mareproject.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

Thinking about publishing your work on funerary materials from the Roman Near East? Have a look at the MARE Publication Grant! The selection committee meets again on Friday 24 April, so now would be a good time to apply! www.rug.nl/MARE-Publication-Grant

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MARE Project @mareproject.bsky.social · 01/12/2025

🥳Celebrating a great achievement! On 21 November, MARE PI Lidewijde de Jong delivered her inaugural speech to officially receive the title Professor of East-Mediterranean and West-Asian Archaeology. Congratulations from the team! Obviously, we had to mark the occasion by carving her a stele 🤩

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MARE Project @mareproject.bsky.social · 12/11/2025

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)

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MARE Project @mareproject.bsky.social · 28/10/2025

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!

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MARE Project @mareproject.bsky.social · 18/10/2025

Hi @ullamr.bsky.social, thank you for reaching out! To join the Network and be on the mailing list, please send your details to NecropoleisResearchNetwork@gmail.com You can also find more information here: independent.academia.edu/NecropoleisR... Hope to see you in a future meeting! 😄

independent.academia.edu

Necropoleis Research Network - Profile on Academia.edu

The Necropoleis Research Network brings together people working on any aspect of mortuary archaeology in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Near East between…

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MARE Project @mareproject.bsky.social · 18/10/2025

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 ✨

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MARE Project @mareproject.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

📣 MARE Publication Grant reminder! The selection committee meets again on 30 October, so make sure to apply before then :)

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MARE Project @mareproject.bsky.social · 22/09/2025

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!

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MARE Project @mareproject.bsky.social · 05/06/2025

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

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MARE Project @mareproject.bsky.social · 13/05/2025

🚨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...

sciencedirect.com

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…

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MARE Project @mareproject.bsky.social · 09/05/2025

❗ Did you know that we have a MARE Publication Grant? Check out www.rug.nl/MARE-publica... for more information!

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MARE Project @mareproject.bsky.social · 01/05/2025

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!' ✨

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Do check out his project description on the MARE webpage: www.rug.nl/research/gro...

rug.nl

Encoffined Bodies

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In contrast to my current research focus, most of my teaching roles primarily concern art, architecture, and archaeology of the Greek world (3200 BC–30 BC).

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More specifically, I have been interested in the religious and funerary art and architecture of the Hellenistic world and Roman (eastern) provinces as well as theoretical approaches to the relationship between image and text.

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I previously studied in England, specialising in the material and visual culture of the Graeco-Roman world (MSt – University of Oxford; BA – University of Warwick).

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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.

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Hello! My name is Nicholas and my PhD investigates the ritual function of sarcophagi of Roman-period Phoenicia (Lebanon). This means examining how the shape, material, iconography, and inscriptions of the sarcophagi represented the dead, consoled mourners, and shaped ritual practice.

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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' 🔽

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With a strong emphasis on placing funerary evidence into ritual sequences, his research examines the rituals of these regions ranging from the preparation of the body to ancient re-engagement with previous burials.

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His project studies instances of well preserved funerary material found in Roman Pisidia and Lebanon. Using a wide array of evidence including grave good assemblages, tomb architecture, and bodily positions, the thesis attempts to capture the range of activities that took place in and around tombs.

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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 ⬇️

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