Max Condon

Why Max Condon chose Archaeology

"At high school, I was always interested in the classics. We studied ancient literature and cultures and I fell in love with the Mediterranean region. I’m from England and I just wanted some adventure in my life. I wanted to live in a different country and have the challenge of not knowing anybody. So I visited Archaeology at an Open Day in Leiden. In general, the whole experience has been fantastic so far."

Maikel Kuijpers

Assistant Professor

‘Excavations are likely what brought you to archaeology. Yet, that is just the tip of the iceberg of our discipline. There is so much more! In the first-year course Past & Future that I teach with my colleague Martin Berger we will show you the rest of the iceberg. Covering the many different specialisations we offer at the faculty, and the enormous scope of archaeology in general.'

'This goes from highly specialised scientific work, like aDNA, to ethical debates on the political sensibilities of such data; from museums and collections to decolonisation debates; and covering the big questions that archaeology aims to answer. It’s a great class to teach because we see how it opens up perspectives and possibilities, and we have plenty of engaging discussions with the students. In the end, the new generations will define what archaeology is going to be about, and how it is relevant!’

Elsbeth Tjon Sie Fat

Events and Venue Hire

I am responsible for all events and the rental of rooms at the National Museum of Antiquities (RMO). The activities we organise at the RMO vary from small meetings to large productions: I can simultaneously be busy preparing a course with 25 people as well as the Museum Night with 2,500 visitors.

As a student in Archaeology I studied objects from the RMO. This introduced me to the museum and, after various positions, brought me to my current department. My knowledge of the collection helps me find suitable topics for our public events. Although I no longer work with archaeological objects on a daily basis, I am always surrounded by them at the RMO.