Prof. Dr. Frank Vermeulen

Frank Vermeulen obtained his Master (1981) and PhD (1988) degrees in Archaeology at Ghent University, where he was also research assistant between 1981 and 1989. His doctoral dissertation concerned an archaeological study of the Romanization of Sandy Flanders. After a few years of being first research assistant and later research director at the National Fund for Scientific Research in Belgium (1989-1999) he became lecturer at the Department of Archaeology of Ghent University (1989).

Since 1998 he is Full Professor in Roman archaeology and archaeological methodology at this University. Since 2015 he is also Chair of the Department of Archaeology at Ghent University. Between  2006 and 2015 he also held temporary academic appointments as part-time Research Professor at the research centre CIDEHUS of the University of Évora (Portugal), as Visiting professor at Macquarie University (Sydney) and as Visiting professor at UC Berkeley (Department of Classics).

In his research two major themes dominate: the archaeology and geo-archaeology of ancient Mediterranean landscapes and Roman rural and urban settlement history. He has a special interest in developing and using non-destructive survey techniques, such as aerial photography and geophysical prospection. He currently directs field projects in Italy (Potenza Valley Survey), Corsica (Mariana) and Portugal (Ammaia).  Recent co-authored books include: Geo-archaeology of the Landscapes of Classical Antiquity (2000), Ancient Lines in the Landscape. A Geo-archaeological Study of Protohistoric and Roman Roads and Field Systems in Northwestern Gaul (2001), Excavations in Pessinus: the so-called Acropolis. From Hellenistic and Roman cemetery to Byzantine castle (2003), Thinking about space. The potential of surface survey and contextual analysis in the definition of space in Roman times, (2008), Ol’Man River. Geo-archaeological aspects of rivers and river plains (2009), Changing Landscapes. The impact of Roman towns on the Landscape of the Western Mediterranean (2010),Urban Landscape Survey in Italy and the Mediterranean (2012), Ammaia I: The Survey. A Romano-Lusitanian townscape revealed (2013) and Good practice in archaeological diagnostics. Non-invasive survey of complex archaeological sites (in press). Around 200 papers in international journals complete his scientific publications.