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Originally educated in tropical forestry (M.Sc – WUR) and working in South America and Africa I returned to The Netherlands in 1997 and to my youth hobby archaeology. But now in a professional way by working as a field archaeologist and completing my study archaeology. During my PhD-research I started teaching at the Amsterdam Archaeological Centre, which I still do with lots of pleasure. I am married to Valéri Berns and we have two daughters Kiki and Lyve.

Teaching

At the AAC I teach on Roman archaeology with special emphasis on the military system and structures, logistics and infrastructure, exchange and trade, technological development and Roman pottery. I also teach a course on aspects of Roman pottery at the Post Academic Archaeological Course PASTA (SIKB-UvA-VU)

Research

Nijmegen

My PhD-research concerned the topography, settlement continuity and monumentality of Roman Nijmegen. See http://dare.uva.nl/record/260419

 

Voorburg-Arentsburg

I am the scientific leader of the AAC-research in Voorburg-Arentsburg, where we have excavated a regularly dredged Roman harbour complete with wooden quays. The Low Countries as a transfer and transit zone had an origin in the Roman period in which the harbour of Voorburg had a function as a transit port and played a role in the supply of the regional coastal forts in the 2 nd and 3 rd century. The two volume report on these excavations – with scientific contributions of enthusiastic AAC students – will be published end 2011-early 2012.

 

Velsen

This small Odyssee-project encompasses the synthesis of the available information on the Roman fort and harbour of Velsen 1, drawing together unpublished studies as well as disparate and inaccessible studies in Dutch, so that this site can take its rightful place in the international debate on early Roman expansion in Northern Europe. The English (or bi-lingual) publication will form a resource for further research as well as for projects orientated towards public presentation.

 

Udruh (Jordan)

Since summer 2011 I direct the archaeological field work in Udruh – Jordan. This research– a joint venture project with colleagues and students of the Al Hussein Bin Tallal University based in Wadi Musa (Petra) – focuses on the settlement continuity of this Roman legionary fortress, the Nabatean predecessor and the transformation into a Byzantine-Islamic town. This research will aim at the (supra-)regional exchangeand trade, logistics and infrastructure and water management of this site as well as the relations to the Nabatean capital Petra which is situated 15 kilometres inwestward direction of Udruh. The research will also focus on the transformation of religions (Nabatean-Christianity-Islam) at this site.

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