In Memoriam
1948-2021
Marc Waelkens at Thorikos and Provatsa
The passing of professor Marc Waelkens (1948-2021) has yielded quite some attention in the national, international and social media, and rightly so: vrt NWS.
The mark he left on Roman Mediterranean archaeology is impressive and his loss is felt by many, not only in Flanders and Belgium, where he was an important player in the archaeological and scientific field.
Having received his PhD at Ghent University in 1976, he became research associate of the National Fund for Scientific Research at his alma mater and later at the Catholic University of Leuven (since 1986). Although having obtained his first fieldwork experience in the Phrygian/Hellenistic-Roman excavations of Ghent at Pessinus (Turkey) directed by professor of Ancient History, Pieter Lambrechts, his talents were soon recognized by professor of Greek Archaeology, Herman Mussche, who invited him to join the project at Thorikos. On October 5th 1980, he made his entrée at the site and participated in five campaigns (1980-1983 and 1985). It was here that he learnt to appreciate the interdisciplinary research that Mussche so strongly advocated, and that he later, after his appointment as professor at Leuven, brought to such high levels at the Turkish site of Sagalassos. Most people will remember Marc Waelkens for his highly important work at the latter site, but it is appropriate here to highlight also in a few words his contribution to Greek archaeology, illustrated with some images of the young Waelkens at Thorikos and Provatsa. At Thorikos in 1981-1983, he studied the tool marks left on the walls of Mine no. 3, which he later, in 1990, published in a groundbreaking study in Thorikos IX. From 1981 on, he joined the excavations that Paule Spitaels had started at the Early Bronze Age site of Ta Provatsa (Leondàri) at the west coast of Makronisos, opposite of Thorikos.
We remember him with gratitude for his contribution to Thorikos
M. Waelkens, 1990, Tool Marks and Mining Techniques in Mine No 3, in: Mussche H.F., Bingen J., Jones J.E., Waelkens M., 1990, Thorikos 1977/1982. Rapport préliminaire sur les 13e, 14e, 15e et 16e campagnes de fouilles. Voorlopig verslag over de 13e, 14e, 15e en 16e opgravingscampagnes, Gent: Comité des Fouilles Belges en Grèce. Comité voor Belgische Opgravingen in Griekenland, 114-143.
P. Spitaels 1982, Provatsa on Makronisos, Aρχαιoλoγικά ανάλεκτα εξ Aθηνών 15, 155-158.
P. Spitaels, 1991, De l’utilité d’un survey minier à Makronisos (Grèce), in: Thoen H., Bourgeois J., Vermeulen F., Crombé Ph., Verlaeckt K. (eds.), 1991, Studia Archaeologica. Liber Amicorum Jacques A.E. Nenquin, Gent: Seminarie voor Archeologie Universiteit Gent, 139-144.
P. Spitaels, I Demolin, 1991, Θορικός, τα Προβάτσα και το Makronisos Project: τα μεταλλεια της Μακρονησου,Επιστεμονική Συνάντεσης ΝΑ Αττικες, 557-568.