Education

2011 – 2014     
Master of Arts in Classical Archaeology, Klassische Archäologie des Instituts für Archäologie (Winckelmann-Institut), Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

2009 – 2010     
ERASMUS-Exchange at the University of Sheffield, England

2007 – 2011     
Bachelor of Arts in Classical Archaeology, Klassische Archäologie des Instituts für Archäologie (Winckelmann-Institut), Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

2007     
Abitur at the Friedrich-von-Bodelschwingh-Gymnasium, Bielefeld

Professional Experience

2012 – 2013     
Student assistant of Prof. Dr. Zbigniew T. Fiema, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

2010 – 2014     
Student assistant of the Exzellence Cluster 264 Topoi in the GIS- and Database Office, Berlin

2008 – 2009     
Student assistant of the Sana'a Branch of the Orient Department of the German Archaeological Institut, Berlin

Archaeological Excavations and Surveys

2014     
Saudi-Finnish Survey Project, Saudi Arabia (in progress)

2014     
2014 Survey of the Villa Maritima of Capo di Sorrento, Italy

2014     
Projet Archéologique du Rocher des Aures, France

2009 – 2014     
2014 International Petra Excavations in Petra, Jordan (ongoing)

2011 – 2012     
Pergamon (DAI), Turkey

The Landscape Organization and Spatial Strategies in the Hinterland of Petra in Nabataean-Roman Times

The dissertation project researches singular aspects and overall strategies of spatial organization in and around Petra, Jordan. The chronological frame ranges from the Iron Age until Late Antiquity. However, the main focus lies within Nabataean-Roman times.

The project aimed at delivering new and innovative insights into the Petra hinterland and its relationship to the city itself. In addition to general thoughts on the military and non-military control of Petra´s surrounding, the project also conducted an archaeological documentation of built structures in order to comprehend the physical control and use of the landscape.

Preliminary Results

So far the project has successfully processed and reevaluated approx. 1800 previously surveyed archaeological sites within the Petra area. However, intensive fieldwork was also conducted in order to clarify sites on the ground and to add new data to the existing archaeological dataset of the Petraean hinterland (fig. 1). Furthermore, in order to research the landscape organization of rural Petra over time, the in part greatly differing chronological classification systems of the archaeological base data had to be synchronized. Otherwise the chronological inconsistencies inherent to the base data would not allow any diachronic analysis. Therefore, a methodology was developed in order to quantify these inconsistencies and to make them transparent for further research. This resulted in dating probability graphs for each evidenced cultural period in the study area based on the chronological information provided by the base data (fig. 2).

Further results of the conducted fieldwork included the extensive walking and mapping of ancient caravan routes in order to further clarify the ancient communication networks of the study area. A particular focus was laid on the so called naqb that connected Petra with its western hinterland towards the Wadi ‘Arabah and eventually also the Negev desert since these have been of only limited scholarly focus so far.

Finally, while extensively exploring the Petraean hinterland first-hand, the significance of natural landscape factors for the rural organization and spatial strategies in the hinterland of Petra was recognized. Without being too environmentally deterministic, Petra’s extreme environmental conditions greatly impacted the structural and social exploitation of its cultural landscape. Not only did topographical and geological conditions influence the course of major caravan routes, it may be argued that the extreme natural landscape settings also inspired both an architectural manifestation and representation (i.e. a more sedentary architecture) in the landscape, as well as more mobile architectural designs where only a minimum of structural installations were required in order to fulfil functional purposes.

These observations highly reflect the dual character of Nabataean culture in general. While the increasing monumentalization of urban Petra mirrors a seemingly sedentary culture, the archaeological evidence in the hinterland of Petra suggests both a sedentary lifestyle as well a culture that still maintained its pastoralist and (semi-)nomadic roots. It should be emphasized, however, that it is not suggested that these different lifestyles were antagonistic, but rather complementary to each other, both being equally important for understanding Nabataean culture as a whole.

This dissertation project was successfully completed within the Research Group A-1 Ancient colonizations of marginal habitats of the Excellence Cluster 264 Topoi.

in preparation     
"New Research Methods on a Nabataean Tomb Complex on the Jabal al-Matbah in Petra", in: Studies in the History and Archaeology of Jordan XII.

in press     
Z. T. Fiema, L. Nehmé, D. al-Talhi, W. M. Kennedy: "The al-´Ula – al-Wajh Survey Project: The 2013 Reconnaissance Season, Atlal", in: The Journal of Saudi Arabian Archaeology.

in review     
"Ein Versuch einer Higuchi-Viewshed-Analyse am Beispiel eines Wachturms auf der Umm al-Biyara in Petra, Jordanien", in: U. Lieberwirth – A. Posluschny – I. Herzog – K. Lambers – T. Kerig (eds.), Computeranwendungen und Quantitative Methoden in der Archäologie – 4. Workshop der AG CAA 2013 (in review).

2013     
"The hills have eyes: GIS-based studies on a possible watchtower on Umm al- Biyara, in: M. Mouton", in: S. G. Schmid (eds.), Men on the Rocks. The Formation of Nabataean Petra. Proceedings of a conference held in Berlin 2–4 December 2011 (Berlin: Logos), 271 - 294.