Maximilian Holmstrom

Biography

Maximilian is an archaeological anthropologist whose work focuses on architecture, ritual practice and social organization in the ancient Near East. He holds an MA in Near Eastern Archaeology from the University of Copenhagen, where his research examined the Early Bronze Age IA architecture of Murayghat in Jordan, with particular attention to how building traditions shaped ritual and domestic life. His work at Murayghat combined excavation leadership with detailed architectural and material analysis, allowing him to explore how ritual activities created and transformed cultural landscapes.

At the University of Notre Dame, his doctoral research continues to investigate the relationship between built environments, daily practice and community formation in early complex societies of Southwest Asia. His broader interests include household archaeology, mortuary practices, ancient economies and the ways in which architecture mediates social interaction.

Holmström has participated in fieldwork across Jordan, Israel and Denmark. His experience includes supervising excavations at Murayghat, excavating human remains at the Natufian site of Nahal Ein Gev II and contributing to Mesolithic research at Pårup. He has also worked on major research projects such as the Ritual Landscape of Murayghat and the National Museum of Denmark’s Hama project, where he assisted with digitization and historical analysis.

His laboratory background includes ceramic thin section petrography, GIS, digital microscopy for textile and fiber studies, ZooMS preparation and species identification, and lithic analysis of Natufian stone tools. He has taught as an external lecturer at Uppsala University and as a teaching assistant at the University of Copenhagen in courses on Near Eastern archaeology and the history of scientific theory.