FIME’s new researcher, Dr Nina Maaranen, began her term in January 2025. Nina is an archaeologist with a specialisation in ancient Near East (ANE) and human osteology. Her project explores the health impact of urbanisation in the ancient harbour town of Sidon (Lebanon) during the Middle Bronze Age (circa 2000–1550 BC). Her research utilises both conventional approaches in osteology as well as biochemical analyses to reconstruct individual biographies as well as population-wide patterns.
Nina graduated with a PhD in 2020 from Bournemouth University, England. His dissertation, “Ties that bind: investigating Hyksos provenance and Migration using dental morphology”, focused on tracking migration during the Middle Bronze Age (around 2000–1500 BCE) in the Eastern Mediterranean region. During this period, urbanization, technological development and trade relations between regions were growing rapidly, which was also reflected in population structures – Nina’s current project also draws from these themes.
Nina’s research work takes place both in museum collections and in fieldwork. In the Middle East, he has participated in several excavations in Egypt, Lebanon and Iraq, and through museum collections the research has also taken him to Syria, Jordan and Palestine. Through these different destinations, Nina collaborates with many international projects and researchers, and she actively participates in academic discussions at researcher meetings and as a member of expert organizations (e.g. BABAO). Nina’s previous publications can be seen here. Nina also worked for years as a member of the editorial board of the Finnish-language archaeological online publication Kalmistopiiri, currently as a guest writer. Nina is also part of the activities of the ARWA International archaeology forum.
In FIME’s Postdoc research, Nina examines the health effects of urbanization in the ancient port city of Sidon in southern Lebanon during the Middle Bronze Age. The cemetery in Sidon, which has been in use for centuries, enables long-term monitoring of the local population as urbanization accelerates. Both traditional bone research (osteological) methods and biochemical analyses are used as research tools, which make it possible to map the state of health both on an individual and population level. The research and its results will also be modified into a pedagogical form, which will bring out the diversity of the cultural heritage of the Eastern Mediterranean locally and internationally.