1986 - 2006
The research center is concerned with the development and application of scientific investigation methods for archaeological and cultural-historical topics with a focus on physical dating and Holocene landscape reconstruction. Luminescence can be used to determine the time of heating of fired artifacts and the age of deposition of sediments. This allows the dating of ceramics, bricks, kilns, fireplaces, archaeosediments, continental Quaternary sediments, volcanic ash layers and sintered limestones.
In particular, the dating of the last exposure of rock surfaces has a wide archaeological application potential. The range of applications extends from the Palaeolithic to the Middle Ages. The determination of the age of sediments makes it possible to reconstruct the landscape around old settlement sites using geoscientific and archaeological methods. Human interventions in the ecosystem - especially in the form of soil erosion - since the beginning of production agriculture in the Neolithic can be quantified over time and related to cultural development. Examples of this are landscapes in southwest Germany and in the Aegean region.
Chairman of the Commission:
Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Egon Althaus
Head of research center:
Prof. Dr. Günther A. Wagner
Employees:
- Priv. Doz. Dr. U.A. Glasmacher
- Dr. S. Greilich
- Dr. A. Kadereit
- Dr. C. Woda
- C. Eichstädter
- S. Lindauer
- K. Carriere