Roland Dreesen

Senior Geologist

Biography

Roland Dreesen has a PhD degree in Geology and Mineralogy from the KU Leuven (1978). After a short stay as a field geologist in Burundi (1976-1979), he was involved in various research projects dealing with Palaeozoic biostratigraphy and carbonate microfacies analysis of the Rhenohercynian realm. Since 1985 he has been working on primary raw materials and the sustainability of geo-energetical resources in Belgium, first at the Institut Scientifique de Service Public (ISSeP) in Liège, later (1996) at the Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO) in Mol (until 2011). Actually, he is a volunteer senior researcher at the GSB and strongly involved in the promotion of geoheritage, geotourism and citizen’s science. He is also a visiting professor at the Department of Historical Archaeology of the Ghent University and a scientific collaborator of the Gallo-Roman Museum in Tongeren. His current research interests are in geological provenance analysis of decorative and building stones in Antiquity and Middle Ages (geo-archaeology).

Research group

Research interests

  • Natural building stones
  • Geoheritage
  • Geo-archaeology

Expertise

Provenance analysis of Belgian natural building materials and decorative stones

Key publications

Dreesen R., Marion J.-M. & Mottequin B., 2013. The Red Marble of Baelen, a particular historical building stone with global geological importance and local use. Geologica Belgica 16, 179-190.

Dreesen, R., Dusar, M. & Doperé, F., 2010. Atlas natuursteen in Limburgse gebouwen. Een frisse kijk op geologie, beschrijving, herkomst en gebruik. Provinciaal natuurcentrum Limburg, 352 p. ISBN 978 90 746 0581 6

Dreesen, R., Poty, E., Mottequin, B. Marion, J.-M. & Denayer, J., 2021. An exceptional Lower Carboniferous heritage stone from Belgium, the “Pierre de Meuse”. Geoheritage, 100, Springer, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12371-021-00627-y

De Clercq, W., Dreesen, R., Dumolyn, J., Leloup, W. & Trachet, W., 2017. Ballasting the Hanse: Baltoscandian erratic cobbles in the Later medieval port landscape of Bruges. European Journal of Archaeology, pp. 1-27.

Dreesen, R., De Ceukelaire, M. & Ruppiené, V., 2018. On the Roman use of “Belgian marbles” in the Civitas Tungrorum, in: Coquelet, C. Creemers, G., Dreesen, R. & Goemaere, E. (eds.). Roman ornamental stones in North-Western Europe. Etudes et Documents, Archéologie 38, Namur, pp. 25-50.