Student projects
PhD theses
From ashes to interpretation: Fragmented, commingled and cremated human remains in Estonian Roman Iron Age (50‒450 CE) tarand cemeteries. 2025 Anu Lillak (supv. Mari Tõrv, Ester Oras, Tim Thompson) read more
Interactions between organic and inorganic components in ancient ceramics. 2025 Jan-Michael Cayme (supv. Ester Oras, Signe Vahur, Ivo Leito) read more
Unravelling prehistoric plant exploitation in eastern Baltic: organic residue analysis of plant-based materials by multi-method approach. 2023 Shidong Chen (supv. Ester Oras, Ivo Leito) read more
Children of the Grave: a multidisciplinary study of non-adult diet and disease from medieval and early modern southern Estonia. 2022 Alessandra Morrone (supv. Ester Oras, Mari Tõrv) read more
Undergraduate theses
The Horse in Medieval and Early Modern Tallinn According to Archaeological Data. 2025 Lisanna-Lee Leiman (supv. Eve Rannamäe, Andres Tvauri) read more
An Analysis of Microremains from the Dental Calculus of Individuals at the Late Iron Age Inhumation Cemetery at Kukruse, Estonia. 2024 Agnes Unt (supv. Kristiina Johanson, Anita Radini) read more
Provenance of the Individuals Buried in the 12th-13th Century Veibri Mass Grave Based on Primary and Secondary Isotope Analyses. 2024 Raivo Suni (supv. Ester Oras, Mari Tõrv) read more
Effects of Burning and Burial Environment on Isotopic Analyses of Charred Legumes and Cereals: Iru Case Study. 2023 Sandra Sammler (supv. Ester Oras) read more
Dietary Patterns of Individuals from Viimsi I Tarand Grave Based on Stable Isotope Analyses. 2023 Kristi Ilves (supv. Ester Oras, Mari Tõrv) read more
Reconstruction of Three Archaeological Dogs Based on Zooarchaeological Material. 2023 Sander Nuut (supv. Eve Rannamäe, Mari Tõrv) read more
The impact of soil, burial, and storage time on the preservation of ancient DNA in human bones found in Estonia. 2023 Mairi Kaseorg (supv. Kristiina Tambets, Aivar Kriiska) read more
List of ongoing student projects
- Silvia-Kristiin Kask investigates in her PhD project the bone tools of Estonian hunter-fisher-gatherers, focusing on their spatio-temporal variability and technological aspects through species identification using ZooMS. (supv. Mari Tõrv, Aivar Kriiska)
- Raivo Suni’s PhD research addresses the origins of archaeological materials using strontium isotopes. (supv. Ester Oras, Kalle Kirsimäe)
- Lola Sõukand’s PhD project is focused on developing alternative analytical methods for detecting organic residues in archaeological pottery, with an emphasis on minimizing sample requirements and identifying components present at very low concentrations. (supv. Ester Oras, Koit Herodes)
- Agnes Unt’s PhD study focuses on developing novel methodologies for high-resolution analysis of archaeological dental calculus to produce precise reconstructions of changes in dietary practices, both at the level of individual lifespans and through different historical periods. (supv. Ester Oras, Kristiina Johanson, Anita Radini)
- Madeleine Geneviève Marie Thirolle’s PhD topic is “Metagenomic and proteomic studies of Stone Age anthropogenic birch tar samples”. (supv. Mait Metspalu, Ester Oras, Antonio de Dios Martinez, Rémi Barbieri)
- Isaac Jervis (PhD)
- Marie Anna Blehner’s MA thesis studies medieval individuals from the Loosi cemetery in southern Estonia. (supv. Heiki Valk, Mari Tõrv, Lehti Saag, Martin Malve)
- Tuuli Tolmov (MA)
