Urgeschichte und Naturwissenschaftliche Archäologie

apl. Prof. Dr. Patrick Schmidt

Akademischer Rat
Institut für Ur- und Frühgeschichte und Archäologie des Mittelalters
Petrologie und mineralische Rohstoffe
CCA-BW

Lothar-Meyer-Bau
Erdgeschoss, Raum 111
Wilhelmstraße 56
72074 Tübingen
patrick.schmidtspam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de
 

Heisenberg Fellow – DFG Heisenberg Programme
Principal Investigator of the Cluster of Excellence: HUMAN ORIGINS (EXC 3101)
Member of the working group Petrology and Mineral Resources, Department of Geosciences

Overview of research topics

Schmidt works at the interface of archaeology, mineralogy and chemistry. Research topics are early pyrotechnology and transformative techniques like stone heat treatment or adhesive making. He also works on the spectroscopic signature of minerals, the properties of materials, the mineralogy and crystallography of raw materials and provenance studies on archaeological raw materials. His analytical focus lies on silica minerals like quartz, opal-CT and moganite, siliceous rocks like flint, chert and silcrete, and organic materials like birch tar, plant gums and conifer adhesives.

Fieldwork projects

  • The southern African Stone Age – regular fieldwork in South Africa. Rocks/minerals, botanical materials.
  • The Australian prehistory – fieldwork campaigns in Australia. Rocks/minerals, archaeological raw materials.
  • Silica rocks in Europe - regular fieldwork in France, Germany, Italy, Spain.
  • Coloring materials of the Stone Age - regular fieldwork in South Africa and Europe.

Teaching

SemesterName of classContentFormat
Winter Sem.

Chemie für Archäologen

(B.A.)

Introduction to inorganic chemistryLecture/Seminar
Summer Sem.Adhesive technology in the Stone Age (M.Sc.)Organic artefacts, ancient techniquesLecture/Seminar
Winter Sem.Experimental and collection fieldwork training in South Africa (M.Sc.)Fieldwork-related activities in archaeology other than excavationInternship
Winter Sem./ Summer Sem.Microanalytics in Archaeology and Geosciences (M.Sc.)Analytical techniques used in Archaeology and GeologyLecture/Seminar
Summer Sem.Silica Rocks as Raw Materials (M.Sc.)Silica rocks as archaeological raw materials

Lecture/Seminar/

Excursion

Selected Publications

A full list of publications can be viewed at Patrick Schmidt’s Google Scholar profile.

  • Schmidt, P., Pappas, I., Porraz, G., Berthold, C., Nickel, K.G, 2024, The driving force behind tool-stone selection in the African Middle Sone Age, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), 121, 10, Article number: e2318560121.
  • Schmidt, P., Iovita, R., Charrié-Duhaut, A., Möller, G., Namen, A., Dutkiewicz, E., 2024, Ochre-based compound adhesives at the Mousterian type-site document complex cognition and high investment, Science Advances, 10, 8, Article number: eadl0822.
  • Schmidt, P., Koch, T.J., Blessing, M.A., Karakostis, F.A., Harvati, K., Dresely, V., Charrié Duhaut, A., 2023, Production method of the Königsaue birch tar documents cumulative culture in Neanderthals, Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 15, Article number: 84.
  • Schmidt, P., Koch, T.J., February, E., 2022, Archaeological adhesives made from Podocarpus document innovative potential in the African Middle Stone Age, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), 119, 40, Article number: e2209592119.
  • Schmidt, P., Blessing, M., Rageot, M., Iovita, R., Pfleging, J., Nickel, K.G., Righetti, L., Tennie, C., 2019, Birch tar production does not prove Neanderthal behavioral complexity, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), 116, 36, p. 17707–17711.
  • Schmidt, P., Lauer, C., Buck, G., Miller, C.E., Nickel, K.G., 2017, Detailed near-infrared study of the 'water'-related transformations in silcrete upon heat treatment, Physics and Chemistry of Minerals, 44, 2, p. 21–31.
  • Schmidt, P., Porraz, G., Bellot-Gurlet, L., February, E., Ligouis, B., Paris, C., Texier, J.P., Parkington, J.E., Miller, C.E., Nickel, K.G., Conard, N.J., 2015, A previously undescribed organic residue sheds light on heat treatment in the Middle Stone Age, Journal of Human Evolution, 85, p. 22–34.
  • Schmidt, P., Bellot-Gurlet, L., Léa, V., Sciau, P., 2014, Moganite detection in silica rocks using Raman and infrared spectroscopy, European Journal of Mineralogy, 25, 5, p. 797–805.
  • Schmidt, P., Porraz, G., Slodczyk, A., Bellot-Gurlet, L., Archer, W., Miller, C.E., 2013, Heat treatment in the South African Middle Stone Age: temperature induced transformations of silcrete and their technological implications, Journal of Archaeological Science, 40, 9, p. 3519–3531.
  • Schmidt, P., Masse, S., Laurent, G., Slodczyk, A., Le Bourhis, E., Perrenoud, C., Livage, J., Fröhlich, F., 2012, Crystallographic and structural transformations of sedimentary chalcedony in flint upon heat treatment, Journal of Archaeological Science, 39, 1, p. 135–144.