Ady Roxburgh will be re-joining the Archaeology Department in September 2020

The Estonian Research Council has awarded Ady Roxburgh a fully funded Mobilitas Pluss postdoctoral grant. The Evaluation Committee decided to fund the first 5 applications across all scientific disciplines. His application was ranked 2nd.  Ady Roxburgh research topic is

“The shadow in the North; the influence of Roman metal exports on eastern Baltic communities”

The rise of the Roman Empire brought about profound social changes to large parts of Europe, including a vast increase in the production and trade of artefacts and raw materials, greatly influencing the lives of the people living inside the Empire and its frontiers. But much less is known about the impact of long- distance contact with peoples living far outside these frontiers. The eastern Baltic is such a region, where certain aspects of this past event may still be studied. Roman influence is very apparent on the metal personal costume ornaments found here. How and why did these items enter the region, especially in terms of their adoption and ongoing adaptation by local societies? Were goods produced in the Roman provinces really reaching the northern Baltic? Or are they local copies? This important new research investigates whether these past societies were in much closer contact than previously thought, offering fresh perspectives on their place in a global history.