I obtained a Master of Chemistry (MChem) from the University of Aberdeen in 2016. For my PhD (2016-2020) at the University of Highlands and Islands I focussed on the identification and interpretation of seaweed consumption by terrestrial mammals in archaeological contexts. Currently, I am researching the first introductions of domesticated animals and plants into Europe, focussing on dietary patterns and plant growth conditions.

Research Interests:
stable isotope ratio analyses, palaeodiets, prehistoric agriculture, environmental archaeology, bioarchaeology, zooarchaeology, experimental archaeology, macroalgae (seaweed), method development

Selected Publications

Blanz, M., Balasse, M., Frémondeau, D., Gál, E., Osztás, A., Biller, A.Z., Nyerges, É.Á., Fiorillo, D., Bánffy, E., Ivanova, M., 2023. Early Neolithic pastoral land use at Alsónyék-Bátaszék, Hungary (Starčevo culture): New insights from stable isotope ratios. PLoS One 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0295769

Blanz, M., Stewart, S., Mainland, I., Ascough, P., Raab, A., Feldmann, J., Taggart, M.A., 2022b. Trace element ratios in tooth enamel as palaeodietary indicators of seaweed consumption and coastal grazing, and their broader applicability. J. Archaeol. Sci. 139, 105551. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2022.105551

Blanz, M., Balasse, M., Card, N., Ascough, P., Fiorillo, D., Taggart, M.A., Feldmann, J., Mainland, I., 2022a. Life, Death and Teeth of Late Neolithic Sheep and Red Deer Excavated at Ness of Brodgar, Orkney Islands (UK). Environ. Archaeol. 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/14614103.2022.2146320

Lancaster, S.T., Peniche, G., Alzahrani, A., Blanz, M., Newton, J., Taggart, M.A., Corns, W.T., Krupp, E.M., Feldmann, J., 2022. Mercury speciation in Scottish raptors reveals high proportions of inorganic mercury in Scottish golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos): Potential occurrence of mercury selenide nanoparticles. Sci. Total Environ. 154557. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154557

Brown, L.K., Blanz, M., Wishart, J., Dieterich, B., Schmidt, S.B., Russell, J., Martin, P., George, T.S., 2020. Is Bere barley specifically adapted to fertilisation with seaweed as a nutrient source? Nutr. Cycl. Agroecosystems 118, 149–163. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-020-10090-w

Blanz, M., Mainland, I., Richards, M., Balasse, M., Ascough, P., Wolfhagen, J., Taggart, M.A., Feldmann, J., 2020. Identifying seaweed consumption by sheep using isotope analysis of their bones and teeth: Modern reference δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values and their archaeological implications. J. Archaeol. Sci. 118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2020.105140

Mainland, I., Blanz, M., Ayres, J., Webster, C., 2020. Cattle and other animals: Human-animal relationships at the Ness of Brodgar, in: Card, N., Edmonds, M., Mitchell, A. (Eds.), The Ness of Brodgar: As It Stands. The Orcadian, Kirkwall, pp. 266–277.

Blanz, M., Ascough, P., Mainland, I., Martin, P., Taggart, M.A., Dieterich, B., Wishart, J., Sayle, K.L., Raab, A., Feldmann, J., 2019. Seaweed fertilisation impacts the chemical and isotopic composition of barley: Implications for analyses of archaeological skeletal remains. J. Archaeol. Sci. 104, 34–44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2019.02.003

Retzmann, A., Blanz, M., Zitek, A., Irrgeher, J., Feldmann, J., Teschler-Nicola, M., Prohaska, T., 2019. A combined chemical imaging approach using (MC) LA-ICP-MS and NIR-HSI to evaluate the diagenetic status of bone material for Sr isotope analysis. Anal. Bioanal. Chem. 411, 565–580. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-018-1489-5

Blanz, M., Britton, K., Grant, K., Feldmann, J., 2018. Potential dietary, non-metabolic accumulation of arsenic (As) in seaweed-eating sheep’s teeth: Implications for archaeological studies. J. Archaeol. Sci. 94, 21–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2018.03.008

Drünert, F., Blanz, M., Pollok, K., Pan, Z., Wondraczek, L., Möncke, D., 2018. Copper-based opaque red glasses – Understanding the colouring mechanism of copper nanoparticles in archaeological glass samples. Opt. Mater. 76, 375–381. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.optmat.2017.12.054