Antique remains used to be documented through drawings and engravings or with gypsum casts and models even before archaeology became an established scientific occupation. These products of artists and travellers, although sometimes blended with fantasy, were the primary visual source of information until photography was introduced and applied in archaeology. These early documents are sources […]

What is the job of an archaeologist? Generally speaking: The archaeologist reconstructs the past of mankind and researches cultural development. And to be more precise: During excavations, archaeologists uncover the material legacies of past times and interpret them. Archaeologists and visitors interpret uncovered structures during an excavation. Graphic: DAI-IST, M. Kinzel We people of the […]

Architecture is often a very prominent feature on archaeological sites. How to document building remains? How to read and understand building remains? How to make sense of the remains? How to identify the various construction phases and processes influencing the building’s biography? How were they actually constructed? How to reconstruct them in a meaningful way? […]

Zooarchaeology is the study of archaeological animal remains, which include materials like bones, teeth, and shells. Unlike biology or paleontology, zooarchaeology focuses on human-animal interactions and the impacts of those interactions on human culture, the environment, and the animals themselves. As one of the most abundant categories of artifact recovered during excavation, animal remains allow […]

What happens to newly exposed remains after an archaeological excavation is finished? What would it stand for and mean for the public? Is it actually worth preserving and presenting it? What does a conservation architect do at an archaeological excavation? In this contribution, let us explain very briefly what a conservation architect does on a […]

When visiting one of our archaeological sites like Ḫattuša-Boğazköy, Göbekli Tepe, or Pergamon-Bergama, you might be lucky enough to encounter our archaeologists in their “natural environment”. With spade, trowel or brush in hand, they remove earth and dust from the remains of ancient cultures. But… is it only archaeologists that work on archaeological excavations? Who […]