Institute for Prehistory, Protohistory, and Near Eastern Archaeology

Prehistory and Early History:

Within the Heidelberg Institute, recent prehistory (Neolithic to Iron Age) in Central and Southeastern Europe is a key area of research. Particular emphasis is placed on the early history of the Aegean region (from the beginning of the Neolithic period to the Minoan-Mycenaean civilization) and issues relating to settlement archaeology. Other research and teaching priorities include the late antiquity and high Middle Ages in Central and Western Europe. Field research is also conducted in southwestern Germany.

Near Eastern Archaeology:

Research in Near Eastern archaeology in Heidelberg focuses on the settlement history, architecture, and visual arts of the Ancient Near East. The main focus is on the cultural history of Mesopotamia. Research activities are currently based on the results of excavations in Iraq (Assur/Qal`at Sherqat, Šaduppûm/Tall Ḥarmal, Bakr Awa) and Syria (Tuttul/Tall Bi`a) as well as related archaeological projects carried out at Heidelberg University.

In the bachelor's and master's programs in Prehistory and Early History, students can study history based on material culture as an independent historical source of past societies from the first appearance of humans to the very recent past.

In the Bachelor's and Master's programs in Near Eastern Archaeology, students deal with the settlement and cultural history of the Ancient Near East in prehistoric and historic times, from the settlement of humans, through the phases of urbanization and the formation of territorial states, to the rise and fall of the ancient Near Eastern empires.