Orsolya Mateovics-László
- Eszter Melis
- Mar 24
- 1 min read
Orsolya Mateovics-László is an anthropologist whose academic background includes an MSc in Biology from the University of Debrecen (Hungary) in 2003 and an MSc in Palaeopathology from Durham University (UK) in 2008. Her research interests, which include gender archaeology and the study of ancient children, first emerged during her postgraduate studies in Durham. In her Master's thesis, she conducted a comparative growth analysis of non-adults in different medieval cemeteries, representing the pioneering study in Hungarian anthropology to address the systematic bioarchaeological analysis of non-adults. This work also provided the foundation for her doctoral thesis on the impact of socio-environmental changes on the mortality and health of non-adults, which she defended at the University of Szeged in 2008.
She has also gained experience as an archaeological site assistant and field anthropologist in several field excavations in Hungary, Ireland and England. Between 2009 and 2023, she worked as an anthropologist at the National Archaeological Institute of the Hungarian National Museum and its predecessors. Currently, she is employed by the Archäologischer Dienst GesmbH in Austria. She has been involved in various international bioarchaeological research projects. At present, she serves as a research advisor in the MTA-BTK Lendület 'Momentum' Bioarchaeology Research Program, which is overseen by Anna Szécsényi-Nagy, focusing on the lifestyle, cultural, and biological connections of children and adults in the Roman province of Pannonia. Since 2011, she has been a member of the Hungarian Archaeological Mission TT184 in Thebes.
She believes that small details unveil larger, hidden contexts, and views children as one of the most critical elements in understanding human nature.
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