Marius-Tiberiu Alexianu

Prof. Marius-Tiberiu Alexianu is a Professor in Archaeology at Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, Romania. He serves as Head of the Ethnoarchaeology Section within the Applied and Theoretical Archaeology Laboratory (Arheoinvest) and leads interdisciplinary research initiatives focusing on salt exploitation and cultural heritage. His roles include Director of international research projects such as the PAI Brancusi (2003-2004) and Egide SSHN (2005), securing over €15,000 in funding. He co-founded the Egeo-Mediterranean Studies Center (2003) and the Archaeo-Historical Research Center (2001), emphasizing cross-border and collaborative research.

His research spans ethnoarchaeological studies of salt resources in the Carpathian region, ancient Thracian economies, and the cultural symbolism of salt in classical texts. Key projects include pioneering work on Romania's first ethnoarchaeological study of salt exploitation (1992), cited internationally, and analyses linking salt production to settlement patterns and conflict dynamics. His international participation includes leadership roles at conferences in Spain, France, and Romania, notably co-optation into the Scientific Board of the 2006 Salt, Water, and Forest Colloquium.

Publications span peer-reviewed journals (e.g., Mankind Quarterly, Environmental Engineering and Management Journal) and conference proceedings, addressing themes like halotherapy, ancient slave-salt trade, and environmental archaeology. His work bridges prehistoric studies, classical antiquity, and modern ethnographic methods, with a focus on Eastern European and Mediterranean contexts.