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Prof. Dr. Maud Devolder
Prof. Dr. Maud Devolder
maud.devolder@ugent.be
ResearchGate
Academia
https://research.flw.ugent.be/en/0000-0002-7610-9614
Department
Department of Archaeology
Other institution(s)
Ecole française d'Athènes, Section des études antiques et byzantines, Associate Researcher
Research Focus
Archaeology
Research Period
Protohistory (Bronze Age, Iron Age)
Research Region
Southern Europe
Research Methodology
Comparative
Field research
Iconography and analysis of images
Quantitative
Surveys
Tabgroup
About
Ignited by my first experience as an archaeology student in a Belgian Medieval cathedral, my research focuses on the detailed and dynamic study of architectural remains as a way to understand ancient building practices and the societies that commissioned and experienced monuments. With this two-fold interest for ancient architecture and societies at heart, I have developed a strong hands-on experience with the Aegean architectural record throughout my Ph.D. (“Social Components and Interactions in Neopalatial Crete (1700-1450 BCE). An Investigation of the Archaeological Data”, 2009) and post-doctoral research in several institutions in Europe (2010-2021), complemented by extensive fieldwork. A focus on the Minoan architectural record has provided me with an ideal field of research for developing pioneering approaches, including the estimation of the labour-time invested in Aegean vernacular and elite edifices. This creative attitude towards the built environment is fed by my dynamic involvement in archaeological projects and the direction under the aegis of the French School at Athens of the study and publication of the Minoan Palace at Malia. This key position has made it possible for me to develop and test alternative investigations of specific aspects of construction, such as itinerant craftspeople and the impact of local vernacular building practices on palatial architecture. I have also kept expanding my interests and field experience in a wider geographical and chronological framework through my collaborative work on cut-stone architecture in the broader Eastern Mediterranean Bronze Age, as well as my involvement in the study of the Classical and Hellenistic quarries in Delphi.
Projects
Projects as supervisor
Ceramic synchronisms in middle bronze age crete
(
2023
-
2026
)
DAEDALOS
(
2022
-
2027
)
Projects as co-supervisor
"The Heavens are Seven, the Earths are Seven" Introducing a new spatial paradigm in Bronze Age Mesopotamian archaeology
(
2023
-
2027
)
Publications
Most recent publications
Devolder, Maud. “1200 BCE. The Demise of the Late Bronze Age Palatial Societies in the Aegean.”
Ηistoire Mondiale de La Grèce/ Παγκόσμια Iστορία Της Ελλάδας / World History of Greece
, edited by Tassos Anastassiadis et al., Seuil, 2025.
Devolder, Maud. “The Minoan Palace at Malia. Synthetic Review and New Insights on the Architectural Sequence and Local and Knossian Building Practices.”
Archaeological Contributions of the Museum of Cycladic Art, E. Crete
, edited by Ioannis Fappas et al., vol. E, Museum of Cycladic Art, 2025.
Veropoulidou, Rena, and Maud Devolder. “Molluscan Remains as Indirect Proxy for Identifying Disintegrated Mudbricks in Aegean Bronze Age Archaeological Contexts.”
ENVIRONMENTAL ARCHAEOLOGY
, 2025, pp. 1–15, doi:10.1080/14614103.2024.2434427.
Devolder, Maud. “Non-Script Systems of Signs, 2 : Masons’ Marks.”
The Cambridge Companion to Aegean Bronze Age Writing
, edited by Jörg Weilhartner, Cambridge University Press, 2024.
Mathioudaki, Iro, and Maud Devolder. “Κνωσιακή Επίδραση Και Τοπική Συμβολή Στην Κεραμεική Και Την Αρχιτεκτονική Του Ανακτόρου Των Μαλίων : Προκαταρκτικές Σκέψεις.”
13th International Congress of Cretan Studies, Proceedings
, Society of Cretan Historical Studies, 2024.
Full bibliography
