Max Lenssen is a PhD Candidate at the Faculty of Archaeology.

More information about Max Willem Lenssen

Current research

Late prehistoric Cyprus is home to an impressive body of figurative artifacts ranging from the iconic cruciform figurines from the Chalcolithic to the elaborate scenes of daily life and more stylized plank figurines from the Bronze Age. As a part of the Inequal Cyprus project my research centers around this rich record of figurative objects from Late Prehistoric Cyprus, aiming to better understand the role of figurative objects in the emergence, negotiation, and consolidation of social inequalities during this period. The project aims to employ a mixed methodology including a contextual approach, statistical analysis, cultural interpretations, and archaeometric techniques. Additionally, the available documentation will be improved upon considerably.

Curriculum vitae

I followed the World Archaeology Bachelor's track at Leiden University (2019-2023). At this time, I focused primarily on West Asia and material culture studies, with an emphasis on figurines. In 2021 I did a semester abroad at Hong Kong Baptist University, where I got acquainted with Chinese and (South) East Asian Archaeology. My bachelor's thesis focused on the representation of clothing, body ornamentation, and tattoos on picrolite and ceramic figurines from Chalcolithic Cyprus.
Having acquired a taste for material culture and figurine studies I proceeded with my studies at Leiden University, following the Archaeological Science Master's track (2023-2025). For my thesis project I used X-Ray Fluorescence analysis and 3D scanning to research ceramic figurines from Early Bronze Age Syria, their makers, and the production techniques they employed.
Throughout my studies I have participated in a number of excavation projects including Chlorakas-Palloures (2021, 2024) and the excavation of Hunebed D34 with Rijksuniversiteit Groningen (2023).

Office days

Weekdays.