AMGC - VUB - Archaeology, Environmental and Geochemistry

30/09/2026

🎙️ Tonight on Radio 1: TESTEREP at De ArcheoToog

Earlier this year, AMGC landscape archaeologist Soetkin Vervust joined archaeologist Marnix Pieters (Flanders Heritage Agency Onroerend Erfgoed) for an episode of De ArcheoToog on the history of the Flemish coast.

In the Dutch-language episode Verdwenen dorp, verdronken eiland (“Lost village, drowned island”), they explore the vanished medieval fishing village of Walraversyde and the former tidal island of Testerep: why did these landscapes disappear, how were people involved in their transformation, and what can archaeology tell us about the long-term interaction between humans and a changing coast? The episode draws on recent results from the interdisciplinary TESTEREP project, coordinated at AMGC.

The episode will be broadcast tonight, 30 September, just after the 22:00 news on Radio 1, as part of Zandman.
Can’t listen tonight? The podcast remains available via VRT MAX and through De ArcheoToog on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube.

22/09/2026

From Brussels to Oxford! 🇧🇪🇬🇧

We’re proud of our AMGC PhD students Pieter Rodts and Meihui Li, who presented their work at the AHRC International Conference, “Power and Possession”, held at The Queen’s College, Oxford, on 14–16 September.

🌳 Pieter shared his research on Hauntology and the Sonian Forest.
🔬 Meihui explored what the soil beneath medieval urban open spaces can tell us about how people used, maintained, and occupied them.

Together with colleagues from , and , they joined a Universiteit Brussel delegation led by Vosters. It was lovely to see VUB researchers bringing different perspectives to the conversation and supporting one another’s work.

Three rewarding days of sharing research, meeting colleagues, and coming home with plenty of ideas to follow up!

A warm thank you to Rik, our fellow VUB researchers, and the organizing team for making it such a memorable visit. 💙

08/09/2026

Tussen Land en Zee has arrived at Atlantikwall Raversyde! 🌊 The exhibition, curated by AMGC's Soetkin Vervust, explores how the Belgian coast has been shaped over thousands of years by the continuous interaction between people, land and sea, bringing together new insights from the TESTEREP research project.

Bring the whole family: there’s also a special kids’ tour and the Expeditie Testerep cycling route to explore! All info at https://www.tussenlandenzee.be/

Raversyde Atlantikwall | Erfgoed West-Vlaanderen | VUB - Vrije Universiteit Brussel

22/08/2026

📢 Postdoctoral opportunity at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)!

The ARCHAI project is looking for a postdoctoral researcher interested in the intersection of archaeology, AI, machine learning and GIS. Candidates with a background in either archaeology or computer science/AI are encouraged to apply.

📍 Brussels, Belgium
📅 Application deadline: 14 September 2026

More information and application:
https://jobs.vub.be/job/Elsene-Postdoctoral-Researcher-in-Archaelogy-and-AI/1426927933/

Please feel free to share!

Postdoctoral Researcher in Archaelogy and AI

18/08/2026

🌠 Congratulations to Philippe Claeys, recipient of the 2026 Barringer Medal and Award!

Presented by the Meteoritical Society, the Barringer Medal and Award recognises outstanding contributions to the study of impact cratering and impact phenomena. We are delighted to see his work recognised with this prestigious award. It's a fantastic achievement and very well deserved.

Congratulations, Philippe! ☄️🌍

Read more about Philippe’s career and contributions to impact science in the official award citation: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/maps.70200

VUB - Vrije Universiteit Brussel

03/07/2026

🔥 Cremation is never just burning...

Our new open-access paper led by the team on the TEFRA project investigates cremation practice in Early Iron Age central Macedonia, Greece, through a multi-proxy analysis of burnt human remains, funerary context, and pyre-related evidence.

Focusing on cremation burials from Polichni and Nea Philadelphia, we explore how fire shaped the treatment of the dead, and how cremation can reveal choices, identities, technologies, and social meanings that are often invisible in the archaeological record.

📖 Read the paper here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352409X2600355X?via%3Dihub

and find out more exciting cremation research here:
TEFRA Project: The use of fire on human remains in the Aegean

05/06/2026

📣Postdoc opportunity at VUB 📣

2-years renewable Post-doctoral Fellowship position on the PLIODIS project. See the link for more details.

2-year renewable Post-doctoral Fellowship at Archaeology, Environmental Changes & Geo-Chemistry Research Group, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium to study the functional adaptations of the primate masticatory apparatus with focus on the internal bony structures

05/06/2026

IWASM Brussels 2026 successfully held at VUB

From 20 to 22 May 2026, the International Workshop on Archaeological Soil Micromorphology and Phytoliths — IWASM Brussels 2026 was successfully held at Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.

Over three days, participants joined intensive microscopy sessions, shared and discussed archaeological thin sections, and exchanged ideas on soil micromorphology, phytolith research and geoarchaeological approaches.

The programme included individual introductions, an inventory of available thin sections, hands-on microscopy sessions, a poster session, a reception, and a social dinner in the historic centre of Brussels.

IWASM Brussels 2026 was organised by members of AMGC, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, and IPAS, University of Basel.

Many thanks to all participants and organisers for making the workshop a fruitful and successful event!

04/06/2026

“Welcome to the Dark Side: Urban Dark Earth” Round Table successfully held in Brussels

On 19 May 2026, the round table “Welcome to the Dark Side: Urban Dark Earth – A state of the art and perspectives for future research” was successfully held at Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels.

The event brought together researchers in archaeology, history, geoarchaeology and archaeoenvironmental studies to discuss the latest approaches to urban Dark Earths — thick, dark, homogeneous urban deposits that hold valuable evidence for understanding past town formation and development.

Discussions focused on new methods and tools for studying urban Dark Earths, data recording strategies, recent case studies, and the contribution of Dark Earth research to broader narratives of urban development.

The round table was organised by the geoarchaeological team of the Archaeology, Environmental Changes & Geo-Chemistry Research Group, AMGC-VUB, and the Integrative Prehistory and Archaeological Sciences team, IPAS-University of Basel, with the support of FWO and SNSF.

Thank you to all participants for the inspiring exchange!

13/05/2026

🔶 GENERAL ASSEMBLY 🔶

We are excited to announce the programme of the upcoming General Assembly and Research Day of our Society 📆

This enriching event will take place at the U-Residence of the VUB on June 6th, starting at 1:00 PM.

The General Assembly will be followed by a visit to the BB-LAB at VUB, and by 3 engaging presentations from young researchers actively working in archaeo-anthropology in Belgium 💀

You can register using the link below before May 31st:

https://forms.gle/mETBMiA31Kqisu9B6

We look forward to seeing you there!