Verantwortlich: Dr. Gubaz Mustafa Kibaroğlu & Prof. Dr. Susanne Greiff

Lehrsprache: Deutsch

Die Veranstaltung ist für Leute gedacht, die mehr über archäologische Funde von der Materialseite her wissen möchten. Sie werden hier mehr über die Herstellung von Keramik, Glas und Ägyptische Fayencen erfahren und außerdem ein paar Methoden der Untersuchung kennenlernen. Wir arbeiten auch mit Originalfunden (ägyptische Fayenceobjekte) aus dem Museum der Universität und schauen uns Dünnschliffe von Keramiken an.

Damit erhalten Sie einen ersten Einblick in die grundlegenden Rohstoffe und Vorgänge, die für das Brennen von Keramik und die Glasherstellung wichtig sind. Sie sollen ein Gefühl für das Material und seine Eigenschaften entwickeln.

Coordinators: Dr. Marta Díaz-Zorita Bonilla & Prof. Dr. Susanne Greiff

This module involves a rotation of lecturers from the Archaeometry group.

Teaching language: English

The basic idea and teaching background aim to show that Archaeometry is far more than mere instrumental analytics on pots and bones. It creates information at very different levels and provides information that is embedded in organic and inorganic materials, structures and written sources. Archaeometry is diverse in its contents, methods and outreach. Therefore, to some extent specialization is mandatory in our field. Archaeometry is embedded in scientific archaeological research promoting the understanding of how people lived in the past based on the study of human remains in their own context in combination with the analysis of their material culture.

This module is foundational for further master’s courses offered in archaeometry.

Lecturers: Dr. Silvia Amicone & Sinem Hacıosmanoğlu M.Sc.

Teaching language: English

This course provides a broad introduction to the technological study of ceramics in archaeology through a material science approach and demonstrates their role in interpreting various aspects of past societies. This course via theoretical and practical lessons (handling artefacts, use of analytical instruments) aims to bridge the gap between archaeology and science by integrating both a detailed training in the use of scientific techniques for the analysis of ancient ceramic and an overview of the anthropology of technology. 

In particular, it provides in-depth training in the principles of thin section ceramic petrography its role alongside instrumental geochemistry in the interpretation of pottery provenance and manufacturing technology. The first lesson will introduce the students to the world of ceramic traditions, ceramic production sequence and the role of ethnography, experimentation and scientific analysis in interpreting past technology. Then, through a series of theoretical and practical lessons, students will be introduced to principles of optical microscopy and petrography and will learn how to apply them to the domain of ancient ceramics. The module will also demonstrate how data on provenance and technology can be used to tackle archaeological questions such as trade and exchange, craft practise and tradition. 

The course will be accessible to students in Natural Science with an interest in archaeometry and ancient ceramic technology and to students of Archaeology with an interest in the application of Material Sciences approaches to material culture. By the end of the course, students will have a good understanding of the foundations of the most established analytical techniques, practical experience in their application and data processing, as well as the ability to design research projects that employ instrumental analyses to address archaeological questions.

Lecturers: Prof. Dr. Klaus G. Nickel & Dr. Christoph Berthold

Teaching language: English

The course will deal with ceramics largely from a materials science point-of-view to give insight in the character, the manufacture and the properties of both modern and ancient ceramics. It will consist of theoretical lectures and practical exercises in a block of one week including an examination.

The course will start with a repetition of basic terms like compounds, chemical and mineralogical composition, structures, phases and phase diagrams and discuss the different meanings of the term clay. Both traditional clay based and modern ceramics will be presented. An introduction to experimental archaeometric investigations will include practical manufacturing of simple samples to make acquainted with the use and significance of tempering with different materials.

The samples will be fired in the lab and used for analytical studies, which will accompany the lectures on consolidation and sintering theory. A main goal here is the realisation of complex internal changes during the turning of a clay into a solid ceramic and the meaning of analyses.

We will give an introduction into the mechanical properties of ceramics by defining basic terms like forces, masses, stress, strain, elasticity, plasticity, brittleness, strength and toughness. Some measurement techniques to obtain basic characterization parameters will be performed in the lab before discussing the processes behind them (e.g. crack and crack growth, reliability, fatigue, thermal expansion, hardness, thermal shock).

(offered as a block course)

Lecturer: Dr. Marta Díaz-Zorita Bonilla

Teaching language: English

This module aims to introduce Gender Studies within Archaeology as a forum where the students will have the opportunity to learn how the discipline was born and evolved through time. Therefore, the structure of the module aims to give students the opportunity to learn about Social Archaeology and Gender and to understand how women and men identities were built through History. In addition, we will critically analyse some case studies, and the students will have the opportunity to have practical sessions where they will have to decipher the gender perspective in specific contexts such as the media and the museums.

Lecturer: Dr. Döbereiner Chala-Aldana

Teaching language: English

The main goal of this module is to provide an introduction to Geographic Information Systems, focusing on understanding the theoretical issues related to space and its representation, as well as the basic principles of cartography, spatial data models, and their application in both archaeological fieldwork and research design. Geographic Information Systems encompass a wide range of spatial analyses that aid in solving various types of archaeological questions. This course will focus on "Mobility" as one such question, which archaeologists explore to uncover different aspects of the interaction between past human groups and their surrounding landscapes.

Lecturers: Prof. Dr. Susanne Greiff & Baptiste Solard, M.Sc.

Teaching language: English

This course is meant to provide you with some basic chemical knowledge in order to understand materials from the archaeological record and the processes which build and change them.  Why does bone dissolve in some soil types but less in others? What is an isotope and why can we reconstruct both ancient diet and date archaeological layers with the help of carbon isotopes? How is iron ore converted into metallic iron? Why is gold a noble metal?  We start from a very basic level and will deliver archaeology-contextualized content. The course includes both lectures and exercises and focuses on inorganic chemistry.  With this course, we hope to build essential skills and knowledge for the students' future in Archaeological Sciences.

(offered as a block course)

Lecturers: Diverse according to topic (Dr. Silvia Amicone, Dr. Marta Diaz-Zorita-Bonilla, Prof. Dr. Susanne Greiff, Priv.-Doz. Dr. Patrick Schmidt)

Teaching language: English

The course provides an introductory approach to the study of ancient pyrotechnology through the lens of experimental archaeology. The first lesson will introduce the students to the world of experimental archaeology. Then, based on a series of theoretical and practical lessons, the students will be exposed to different case studies in which experimental archaeology is used to test a variety of different hypotheses about ancient firing techniques and the transformative power of fire.
At the end of the course, the participants will have acquired theoretical and practical experience in experimental archaeology, and they will have learned how to apply its study to pyrotechnology. In addition, they will have the ability to design research projects that employ experimental pyrotechnology to address archaeological questions.

Topic of the SoSe 2025: The Art of Smelting Iron
(Prof. Dr. Susanne Greiff & Dr. Guntram Gassman)
The course provides an introductory approach to the study of ancient pyrotechnology through the lens of experimental archaeology.
Iron is the latest invention among man-made metals of archaeological relevance, but one of the most important achievements. In a weekly lecture we will explore the socio-economic and technological background of iron production through the ages.
In a one-week field practical taking place in the Hunsrück area north of Mainz (8-14 Sept. 2025) we will produce iron in a bloomery furnace from ore that we collect in the area.
Evaluation will be carried through an oral seminar presentation.

The course is part of the M.A. in Archaeology and priority will be given to student from this program.

Lecturers: Dr. Silvia Amicone

Teaching language: English

This course offers a broad introduction to the technological study of pigments and decoration techniques in archaeological ceramics through a material science approach. It provides training in the principles of optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence and scanning electron microscopy, as needed for the interpretation of pottery decorations. 
At the end of the course, the participants will have a good understanding of the foundations of the most established archaeometric techniques employed in the study of different types of pottery pigments and decorations. In addition, they will acquire practical experience with these archaeometric techniques and their application to the study of pigments and decoration and the ability to design research projects that employ instrumental analyses to address archaeological questions.

(offered as a block course)

Lecturers: Priv.-Doz. Dr. Patrick Schmidt

Teaching language: English

Basic introduction to silica rock raw materials in Palaeolithic and Neolithic contexts. Formation and geology, structure and mineralogy, provenance analyses, heat treatment.