I am a geoarchaeologist with a specialization in micromorphological analysis of sediment produced by humans and animals. I have particular interest in the integration of micromorphology with other microanalytical approaches such as micro-FTIR and micro-XRF. I apply this approach to a variety of different types of archaeological sites including Paleolithic and Stone Age caves and rockshelters and Neolithic tells, as well as archaeological and experimental materials, such as plaster and wood ash. I teach topical courses on Anthropogenic Deposits and Site Formation Processes, and methodological courses on Stratigraphy, Archaeological Micromorphology and Microanalytics. Along with many other members of the INA, I work within the Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment. I am currently an Associate Editor for the journal Geoarchaeology ...see full page

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Aristeidis Varis specializes in archaeology and geosciences with broad interests in human-environmental interactions, site formation processes, and landscape evolution. He now focuses on the geoarchaeology of human dispersals in Central Asia and the formation processes of caves, springs, and loess sites. He combines geoarchaeological fieldwork with micromorphological, geochemical, and standard sedimentological analyses.

After studying geoarchaeology in the University of Thessaloniki (Greece) and University College London (UK), he received his PhD from the University of Tübingen (2022). In his thesis, he demonstrated how geoarchaeological processes might result in the formation of a low-density record on the landscape and site-scale ...see full page

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Fire has always been considered a crucial factor in the human evolution and its discovery and control have yielded significant changes in the cultural, behavioral and technological sphere. However, the individuation of combustion tracks is not simple and, given the ambiguous and labile nature of the fireplace, it becomes more complex inside the Paleolithic sites; especially when it must connect the combustion tracks to the human activities. This issue often leads archaeologists to consider the burnt material as indirect evidence of combustion features within sites. Nevertheless, the presence of heat-altered remains is not enough to confirm the use of fire by the human and researchers must exploit other investigative techniques. The goal of this project is to use microcontextual analysis to reconstruct the behavioral strategies adopted and the use of space by prehistoric populations from the Middle to Upper Paleolithic ...see full page

I am a postdoctoral researcher with the main interest in studying combustion features. My research focuses on micro-geoarchaeological approaches to understand past human behavior in relation with their fireplaces. To study these features, I mainly focus on the methods of micromorphology and lipid biomarker analysis. The main time periods I’m interested in is the general Paleolithic in Europe and classical Greece and Rome. 

After studying geoarchaeology in my Bachelors (Trier, Germany) and Masters (Tübingen, Germany) I received my doctorate from the University of La Laguna (Spain), working on Middle Paleolithic combustion features at the site of El Salt (Spain). ...see full page

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I am a PhD candidate in the Geoarchaeology Working Group at the University of Tübingen, supervised by Christopher Miller (University of Tübingen) and Kurt Rademaker (Michigan State University). My research interests include high altitude hunter-gatherer adaptations and settlement systems. For my PhD project, I am applying a geoarchaeological approach to study the site formation processes of several sites in the Central Andes of Peru, including coastal and high-altitude settings, as part of the PaleoAndes project. ...see full page

I currently work as the primary laboratory manager for the Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment (SHEP) and the Geoarchaeology Working Group in the Institute for Archaeological Sciences (INA) at the University of Tübingen, under Prof. Dr. Christopher Miller. I focus on the creation of micromorphological thin sections in laboratory of soil science and geoecology for projects throughout the world, including a variety of excavations in Africa, South America, and Europe. I am also the lecturer in the Department of Geoarchaeology for the course “Laboratory Techniques in Geoarchaeology and Micromorphology,” providing hands-on, practical training in the creation of micromorphological thin sections to students of all levels. In collaboration with other members of the Geoarchaeology Working Group, I offer certification in these specialized laboratory methods to international researchers, students, and other archaeological professionals ...see full page

Secretary for the Institute of Archaeological Sciences (INA)

Email: sonia.varandas[at]uni-tuebingen.de
Office: S523, Hölderlinstraße 12
72074 Tübingen, Germany

I am a retired Professor of Archaeology (Boston University). My work in geoarchaeology over the course of several decades mainly focused on the development of archaeological micromorphology from a niche field into a widespread and necessary tool for reconstructing the formation processes of all types of archaeological sites. I have worked on hundreds of sites from all over the world, but am particularly known for my fundamental studies of the combustion features in Kebara Cave (Israel). I have also co-authored three textbooks on the topic of micromorphology and geoarchaeology. In my retirement, I am continuing both fieldwork and laboratory studies here in Tübingen, with recent projects focused on publishing my work at Hayonim Cave (Israel), Wonderwerk Cave (South Africa) and La Ferrassie (France).

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Laboratory Director for Organic Petrology

> Organic petrology and coal geology
> Organic petrology applications in archaeology, soil science, and environmental problems
> Coal facies in relation to coal forming environments
> Formation of organic-rich sedimentary rocks
> Thermal history of sedimentary basins

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