Maria Mina

Maria Mina serves as Assistant Professor of Prehistoric Archaeology of the Eastern Mediterranean within the Department of Mediterranean Studies at the University of the Aegean. She holds leadership positions including membership on the Executive Board of the European Association of Archaeologists (2019-2022) and active participation in the Association for Coroplastic Studies and Archaeology and Gender in Europe research group. Her scholarly contributions extend to peer review for prominent journals including Cambridge Archaeological Journal and Hesperia.

Her educational foundation comprises undergraduate and postgraduate archaeology studies at the University of Southampton, culminating in doctoral research at the Institute of Archaeology, University College London.

Mina's research program interrogates Neolithic and Bronze Age societies across the Eastern Mediterranean through innovative theoretical frameworks. She pioneers investigations into prehistoric social organization, identity formation, and technological practices with particular emphasis on gender dynamics and bodily experiences. Her scholarship critically examines cultural transmission patterns—assimilation, adaptation, and rejection—while advancing methodologies in Archaeology of Gender and Archaeology of the Body. Material culture studies form a cornerstone of her work, especially anthropomorphic figurines, metallurgical traditions, and adornment practices that reveal complex social structures.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals sustained scholarly engagement with insularity construction in island contexts (notably Karpathos), metallurgy's role in social complexity transitions, and gendered identity performance through material culture. Her work consistently bridges theoretical archaeology with empirical analysis of Cypriot and Aegean Bronze Age societies, demonstrating methodological rigor in examining cultural boundaries and identity negotiation.

No major scientific awards or fellowships are documented in available sources.

Mina demonstrates significant scholarly leadership through conference organization including "Four Decades of Hiatus in Archaeological Research in Cyprus" (2016) and "Embodied Identities in the Prehistoric Eastern Mediterranean" (2012). She contributes to major research initiatives as a team member for the Neolithic Knossos Publication Project under the British School at Athens, while her fieldwork experience spans excavations in Greece and Cyprus. Her collaborative approach is evident in co-edited volumes and international conference participation across Europe.

Her research infrastructure includes participation in the Neolithic Knossos Publication Project directed by Drs. V. Isaakidou and P. Tomkins, alongside collaborative networks through the European Association of Archaeologists and specialized research groups focusing on gender archaeology and coroplastic studies.