In Memoriam Morgan De Dapper

On November 17, Prof. Dr. Morgan De Dapper passed away at the age of 76. He was full professor in the Geography department at the Faculty of Science, and was internationally held in the highest regard as an erudite geomorphologist. From 2008 to 2021, he and colleagues from the archaeology department taught the master's course 'Geoarchaeology', which was aimed at a mixed group of students from Archaeology and Geography at Ghent university. Although the university granted him retirement on October 1, 2012, he continued this teaching task uninterruptedly and with great enthusiasm for many years to come. The students' great appreciation for his lectures, which include many case studies of his own original fieldwork in Mediterranean and subtropical areas, testify to his commitment and major contribution to the sub-discipline of geoarchaeology in Ghent. His successful collaborations with many archaeologists from the department since 1990 in numerous foreign long-term projects, in Turkey, Greece, Portugal and Italy, among others, have helped to put the landscape archaeological component of Ghent scientific research in the Mediterranean region on the international map.
Morgan’s drive and energy is obvious from the scale of his various fieldwork collaborations and publications showing his determination to undertake innovative research that significantly helps to deepen the study of the relationship between man and his environment in the Past. Despite this drive Morgan was always a generous and outgoing person, who was at the centre of a series of networks of academic friends and colleagues, enjoying social interactions and conviviality. He also actively promoted the careers of younger colleagues, and was a great inspiration of many students in the field.