Dr. Marta Hlad

CRUMBEL, The People Behind the Ashes, DIMENSIE

I completed my undergraduate studies at the Department of Archaeology of the University of Ljubljana and an MSc in Osteology and Funerary Archaeology at Leiden University. I obtained my PhD in April 2025 at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Université Libre de Bruxelles. During my PhD I was a part of the CRUMBEL project, after which I obtained my individual FWO grant entitled The People Behind the Ashes, and worked on improving and developing methodologies for sex estimation of burnt human remains.

My focus as a postdoctoral researcher is on human osteology and Sr isotope analysis of the cremated human remains from the Roman necropolises of Oudenburg, in today's Belgium. This work is done in the frame of DIMENSIE project, together with Dr. Ben Gruwier and Prof. Barbara Veselka, and examines human-animal relations in Roman funerary contexts.

Background

2018 MSc Human Osteology and Funerary Archaeology, Leiden University
2015 Undergraduate Degree in Archaeology, University of Ljubljana

Key Research Interests

Bioarchaeology
Forensic Anthropology
Sex estimation
Age-at-death estimation
Cremations
Isotope analyses,

Main Publications

Hlad, M., Veselka, B., Wolfe Steadman, D., Herregods, B., Elskens, M., Annaert, R., Boudin, M., Capuzzo, G., Dalle, S. R. G., De Mulder, G., Sabaux, C., Salesse, K., Sengelov, A., Stamataki, E., Vercauteren, M., Warmenbol, E., Tys, D., Snoeck, C. (2021). Revisiting metric sex estimation of burnt human remains via supervised learning using a reference collection of modern identified cremated individuals (Knoxville, USA). American Journal of Physical Anthropology,
Veselka, B., Hlad, M., Wolfe Steadman, D., Annaert, H., Boudin, M., Capuzzo, G., Dalle, S., Kontopoulos, I., De Mulder, G., Sabaux, C., Salesse, K., Sengeløv, A., Stamataki, E., Vercauteren, M., Tys, D., Snoeck, C.Estimating age-at-death in burnt adult human remains using degenerative phases of the sternal clavicle end. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, published online. (IF:2.662), 2020
Capuzzo, G., Snoeck, C., Boudin, M., Dalle, S., Annaert, R., Hlad, M., Kontopoulos, I., Sabaux, C., Salesse, K., Sengelov, A., Stamataki, E., Veselka, B., Warmenbol, E., De Mulder, G., Tys, D., Vercauteren, M. (2020). Crematin vs. inhumation: Modeling culture changes in funerary practices from the mesolithic to the middle ages in belgium using kernel density analysis on 14C data. Radiocarbon, 2020, 1-24.
Leskovar, T., Hlad, M., Snoeck, C., Gerritzen, C., & Črešnar, M. (2023). Uporaba analiz izotopov v raziskavah skeletnih tkiv v arheologiji.
Leskovar, T., Snoeck, C., Črešnar, M., Hlad, M., Gerritzen, C., James, H., Spros, R., Goderis, S., & Gaspari, A. (2025). Colonia Iulia Emona at the crossroads in the South-Eastern Alpine region during the late Roman period – An isotope perspective. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 65, Article 105218.

marta.hlad@vub.be