Page of Marie Besse
Full professor Marie Besse
Full Professor and head of the Laboratory of prehistoric archaeology and anthropology – Archaeologist
A702, Uni Carl Vogt
+41 22 379 6915
E-mail
Research fields
Prehistory – Neolithic – Bell Beaker – settlement history – processes of colonization and acculturation – borrowing and transfer of techniques – theoretical archaeology – social organization of the prehistoric communities – anthropology – pottery – palaeo-environment
Scientific and administrative responsibilities
Curriculum Vitae
Full rofessor at the Laboratory of prehistoric archaeology and anthropology at the University of Geneva. Head of the Laboratory of prehistoric archaeology and anthropology
Postal address: Laboratoire d'archéologie préhistorique et anthropologie – Département F.-A. Forel des sciences de l’environnement et de l’eau – Sciences de la Terre et de l'environnement – Université de Genève – 66 Boulevard Carl-Vogt, 1205 Genève, Suisse
Distinctions
- 2024 – Certificate of Appreciation in recognition of his continued dedication to academic research and his invaluable contribution to discovering and sharing Kosovo's rich history with the world, Pristina, Kosovo
- 2021 – Taurus Foundation ‘Science 2021’ Award. The Foundation supports scientific projects and publications by researchers in paleoanthropology and prehistory
- 2019 – Medal from the town of Menjez, Akkar region, Lebanon, for the study and promotion of Bronze Age dolmens (4th and 3rd millennia BC), the establishment of a tourist trail, a permanent exhibition and the creation of a Heritage Centre. Funding provided by the British Council Small Grants for the Cultural Protection Fund
- 2017 – Prix Alex –F. Müller de physiopathologie clinique pour la publication : Biver (E.), Perréard Lopreno (G.), Hars (M.), van Rietbergen (B.), Vallée (J.-P.), Ferrari (S.), Besse (M.), Rizzoli (R.). 2016, Occupation-dependent loading increases bone strength in men, Osteoporosis International, 27, 3, 1169-1179
- 2013 – Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Palmes académiques, appointed by le Premier Ministre français Monsieur Jean-Marc Ayrault
- 2012 – Selected by the FNS to join academia-net.org
Supervision of students
Research
Professor Marie Besse's research, which is highly interdisciplinary in nature, focuses primarily on Neolithic and Bronze Age communities in Europe.
SNSF Advanced Grants project: Specialised craftspeople on the move
She leads an Advanced Grants project funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation: Specialised craftspeople on the move: a holistic approach to Bell Beaker societies in the Alps and in Europe.
Europe in the 3rd millennium BCE
Marie Besse's research focuses on analysing the lifestyles of populations in Europe in the 3rd millennium BCE, and more specifically on the formation of the Bell Beaker Culture, a major component of the European Chalcolithic period.
She is developing multidisciplinary research, integrating data from archaeology, geology, biology, chemistry and social anthropology.
The Alps in the Neolithic period
The study of habitats – which reflect the organisation of society and the choices and constraints of living environments – provides insight into the daily lives of men and women in the Neolithic period and, from a diachronic perspective, the evolution of societies. Marie Besse is developing the study of habitats in Valais, in particular that of Petit-Chasseur in Sion (Valais, Switzerland), and is constructing a general picture of the occupation of the Alpine massif in the Neolithic period. These projects are funded in particular by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and European projects (COST).
Archaeological excavations
Direction of archaeological excavations
Scientific and administrative responsibilities
Scientific committees in Switzerland and abroad (ongoing)
Administrative responsibilities at UniGE
Earth and Environmental Sciences Section. Section Council, faculty representative (2025)
Association des Professeur.e.s de l'Université de Genève (APUG), President since January the 1st, 2025