Matilde Quilici
Research Engineer in Pigments and Residues
UMR PACEA 5199
University of Bordeaux
Bât B2
Allée Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire CS 50023
33615 PESSAC Cedex
GPR Human Past – WP4 Action 1
matilde.quilici%40u-bordeaux.fr
Research Interests
My main interests include the application of mineralogical, chemical and physical analytical methods for the study and characterisation of archaeological materials and cultural objects. My examinations have focused on geological materials and archaeological pigments, ceramics and building materials (mortars, plasters, bricks, stones) with the principal aim being to uncover aspects of technological practices and production sequences (chaîne opératoire) while placing particular emphasis on the identification of raw material provenance, strategies of resource procurement and the complex interactions/exchanges that occurred between different crafts and craftspeople.
Curriculum Vitae
Current Position
June 2026 - Research Engineer
PACEA – GPR Human Past
Supervisors: Francesco d’Errico and Alain Queffelec
Education
2021-2025 PhD in Geology
KU Leuven
2020-2021 MPhil in Archaeological Science
University of Cambridge
2016-2020 MAHons in Archaeology
University of Edinburgh
Professional Work Experience
Field Laboratory
2023-2024 Visiting researcher
STARC, The Cyprus Institute
2021-2024 Teaching & Research Assistant
KU Leuven
Archaeological Fieldwork Experience
- San Casciano dei Bagni (July 2022-2023)
Directors: Prof. Jacopo Tabolli and Dr. Emanuele Mariotti (Università per Stranieri di Siena)
Directors: Prof. Guillaume Robin (University of Edinburgh)
Directors: Prof. Benjamin Russell (University of Edinburgh) and Prof. Girolamo Ferdinando De Simone (Università degli Studi Suor Orsola Benincasa)
Directors: Prof. Clive Bonsall (University of Edinburgh) and Dr. Adina Boroneant (Institute of Archaeology of the Romanian Academy)
Technical Skills
Optical microscopy & petrography, XRD, FTIR, SEM-EDS, ICP, TGA, epoxy resin cross-section preparation, R, Adobe package
Publications
- Bulian, Francesca, et al. “Early Use of Lime Mortar at the Early Iron Age Piscina Torta Salt Production Site (Tiber Delta, Ostia, Italy).” Geoarchaeology, vol. 41, no. 2, Mar. 2026, https://doi.org/10.1002/gea.70053.
- Quilici, Matilde. Achaeometric Study and Chaîne Opératoire Approach to Mortars from Sagalassos and the Fort at Oudenburg. Integrating Literary, Archaeological and Archaeometric Evidence from the Roman World. 2025. Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, PhD Thesis.
- Quilici, Matilde, et al. “Mortar Recipes from the Roman Imperial Bath-Gymnasium and Urban Mansion of Sagalassos – A Technological Perspective.” Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, vol. 57, no. June, 2024, p. 104674, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104674.