PhD thesis defense of Szymon Maślak

We are pleased to announce that the public defense of the doctoral dissertation of Szymon Maślak, our colleague from the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology, University of Warsaw, took place on Wednesday, 13 December 2023. The thesis subject is “Traditional brick architecture in Late Antique and Medieval Egypt. Production and use of brick based on the preserved architectural substance of the monastic complex at Naqlun”.

We are pleased to announce that the public defense of the doctoral dissertation of Szymon Maślak, our colleague from the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology, University of Warsaw, took place on Wednesday, 13 December 2023. The dissertation is entitled ‘Traditional brick construction in Egypt at the end of antiquity and in the Middle Ages.

The paper presents various aspects of sun-dried and baked brick, treated as a separate artefact. It discusses the stages of its production and their economic side, with a particular focus on the specific conditions in Naqlun, where natural water sources necessary for the process are scarce. It also analyses the economic side of the production of baked bricks against the background of their spread in Egypt. In the thesis, the basic models of brick production are identified. The work also includes chapters presenting the use of different types of bricks in construction based on the history of the development of buildings in Naqlun. The relationship between brick roofing structures (e.g. vaults, domes, ceilings/flat roofs) and supporting walls is also analysed, and the use of bricks in other brick structures is discussed.

The defence concluded with the unanimous decision of the Doctoral Committee to request the Scientific Council of the Discipline of Archaeology to accept the defense and to award Szymon Maślak the PhD degree.

Congratulations!