N.D. (Nicholas) Aherne, MA

About

I am a PhD Researcher (2nd year) in Archaeology of the Roman East at the Groningen Institute of Archaeology, University of Groningen. My PhD project is titled 'Encoffined Bodies: on the Role of Decorated Sarcophagi in the Funerary Customs of Phoenicia during the Roman period'. I investigate the ritual function of sarcophagi through a contextual and interdisciplinary approach. My background specialism is in the material and visual culture of the Hellenistic and Roman worlds, specifically art, which I examine to investigate identity of and interaction between individuals and communities in the Roman Empire, particularly the Eastern provinces. My other interests include the relationship between image and text, ancient religion, and cult and festival activity. I have carried out fieldwork in Italy, Crete, Bulgaria, the UK, and the Netherlands.

Research

 My PhD project (2022–2026) is titled 'Encoffined Bodies: on the Role of Decorated Sarcophagi in the Funerary Customs of Phoenicia During the Roman Period' 

In the second and third centuries AD the production and consumption of stone sarcophagi to memorialise the dead peaked in Phoenicia. This development marks a wider shift in funerary customs, whereby empire-wide trends appeared in the provinces, indicating a major transformation in how local communities conceptualised and acted in the funerary sphere. Thus far, scholarly focus on sarcophagi of Roman Phoenicia (present-day Lebanon) has predominantly been concerned with them as symbols of high status and culture, their artistic merit, and their position within broader imperial themes of identity and trade networks. Pre-existing approaches have generally been tailored to material from the centre of the Empire, i.e., Italy and mainland Greece.

My PhD investigates the function of the sarcophagi within their funerary customs and the ritual activity practiced by the mourning community. Consequently, it recontextualises the sarcophagi within their distinctly local context. Not only can this investigation shine light upon local customs, values, and beliefs, but also, the socio-cultural development of Roman Phoenicia in relation to the Roman Empire.  

Disciplinary divides in the study of the funerary material of Roman Phoenicia have meant that data categories (epitaphs, decoration, osteological evidence, and objects) have not yet been studied in a comprehensive manner. To counter the challenges posed by the dataset’s legacy nature and such ontological boundaries I take a holistic approach. Thus, I seek to extend examine a sarcophagus through its multitude of material and visual components in order to reconstruct the lived ritual experience of local communities. A particular aim of mine is to reconcile artistic and archaeological approaches to Roman death and burial.  

The central dataset comes from major urban sites along the coast of Phoenicia.

Some key research questions include:

• What kinds of interactions did the sarcophagi enable for the living community?  

• How did the material and visual components of the sarcophagus interact with each other and the living?  

• How did the sarcophagi (re-)formulate relationships between the living and the dead?  

• How much were the sarcophagi and their decoration dictated by imperial trends vs. local demands?  

• What do the sarcophagi reflect about local customs, cultural values, and beliefs? 

This PhD project belongs to the wider MARE (Mortuary Archaeology of the Roman East) Project under the supervision of PI, Professor L. de Jong. MARE - Mortuary Archaeology of the Roman East | University of Groningen (rug.nl) Over a period of five years (2021-2026), the MARE team investigates how local communities envisioned and reformulated their relationships with the dead. We will build a digital infrastructure to enhance legacy and orphaned datasets from coastal Lebanon, Palmyra, and Pisidia, as well as to unlock inaccessible collections for wider audiences.   

Qualifications and awards

• BA in Classical Civilisation at the University of Warwick (2019)
• MSt in Classical Archaeology from the University of Oxford (2021)
• AIA Annual Meeting Travel Grant (2024)
• Sloane-Robinson Award in the Humanities and Social Sciences — Lincoln College Scholarship, Oxford (2020)
• Lord Crewe Graduate Scholarship — Lincoln College Scholarship, Oxford (2020)
• 'Best Overall Classics and Ancient History Student' 2017-2018 and 2018-2019, Department of Classics and Ancient History, University of Warwick.