I am an archaeologist investigating the impact of trans-regional connectivity, human-thing relationality, and changing object repertoires in West Asia between ca. 400 BCE-100 CE. My research focuses on the art and architecture of palatial contexts, using these hubs of cultural innovation as proxies for understanding the impact of pre-modern globalization processes. By exploring in-depth case-studies of changing object repertoires (or objectscapes) in West Asian palaces and localities, I investigate how the influx of new objects and their vibrant affordances actively shaped the emergence of new human-thing relations. This research feeds back to my interest in current theoretical debates in archaeology, which deal with New Materialist assemblage theory, the ‘ontological turn’ and multi-sensoriality. My main aim is to critically rethink West Asian cultural transformation from these relational perspectives, providing methodological and interpretative alternatives to problematic notions like Hellenism and Romanisation.

In a forthcoming monograph, I analyse these questions and topics on the basis of archaeological legacy data pertaining to a palatial context in the capital of the Late-Hellenistic kingdom of Commagene (southeast Turkey): The palace of Samosata. Objectscapes, ancient globalization and cultural transformation in Commagene (4th c. BE - 1st c. CE) (Asia Minor Studien, Habelt Verlag, expected April 2024).

Since 2017, I have furthermore been active as a field supervisor at the archaeological excavations of Doliche (Forschungsstelle Asia Minor, Münster University) in southeast Turkey, where we investigate urban development and cultural transformation in a Hellenistic-Roman city.

I explore the contemporary consequences of a globalizing ancient world for the status of (archaeological) heritage in a forthcoming co-edited volume on Rooted Cosmopolitanism, Heritage and the Question of Belonging. Archaeological and Anthropological perspectives (Routledge expected March 2024).

For students, please use my office hours for 1:1 meetings. These are: Mondays 10:00-12:00 and Fridays 16:00-17:00 (in my office, Amory 380, or on MS Teams). If you would like to book a time slot in advance, please follow the link here. In addition, you can always contact me at l.k.kruijer@exeter.ac.uk to arrange a (virtual or on-campus) meeting.