Bulletin of Nabataean Studies (BNS)

Scholars

Curriculum Vitae

• 2002 Habilitation (= university lecturing qualification in continental Europe). University of Paris I, Sorbonne. Dissertation subject: Boire pour Apollon. Études sur la céramique hellénistique d’un puits du sanctuaire d’Apollon Daphnéphoros à Érétrie (Drinking for Apollon. Studies in Hellenistic Pottery from a Well in the Sanctuary of Apollon Daphnephoros at Eretria).
• 1996 Ph. D. Classical Archaeology. Archäologisches Seminar, University of Basel (Switzerland). Dissertation subject: Die Feinkeramik der Nabatäer. Typologie, Chronologie und kulturhistorische Hintergründe (The Fine Ware Pottery of the Nabataeans. Typology, Chronology and Cultural-Historical Backgrounds).
• 1992 M. A. Archäologisches Seminar, University of Basel (Switzerland). Thesis subject: Ausgewählte Formen der nabatäischen Feinkeramik (Selected Forms of Nabataean Fine Ware Pottery).
• 1986 High School degree, Humanistisches Gymnasium, Basel (Switzerland).
• Born in Basel (Switzerland) on April 12, 1967

Professional Interests

• General: archaeology, art history and culture history of the Mediterranean and the Near East from the Late Bronze age to the Roman period.
• Theoretical issues: settlement processes, cross-cultural exchange, archaeological method and theory.
• Geographical area: Mediterranean Basin, Near East.

Professional Employement

• 2008 – Professor (tenured) of classical archaeology, Humboldt-University, Berlin (Germany)
• 2003–2008 Professor (tenured) of ancient art and archaeology, University of Montpellier III (France)
• 2002–2003 Associate professor in classical archaeology, University of Montpellier III (France).
• 2003 Invited professor in classical archaeology, University of Lausanne summer term (Switzerland).
• 2002–2003 Invited professor in classical archaeology, University of Göttingen (Germany).
• 1996–2002 Deputy director, Swiss School of Archaeology in Greece.
• 1992–1996 Assistant, Archaeological Institute of Basel University (Switzerland).

Fieldwork Experience

• since 2004 Co-director. The Hellenistic Petra Project (HPP). Nabataean and Roman structures in the city centre of Petra ; co-directors Prof. Dr. David F. Graf (University of Miami) and Dr. Leigh-Ann Bedal.
• since 1999 Director. The International Wadi Farasa Project, Petra (IWFP). Nabataean to middle Islamic structures, 1st–13th c. AD.
• 1996–2000 Director. Swiss School’s Excavation at Eretria (Greece). Geometric - late Roman period, 8th c. B.C. – 4th c. AD.
• 1988, 89, 91, 93, 94 Trench supervisor and responsible for fine ware studies. Swiss-Liechtenstein Excavations at Petra. Director: Rolf A. Stucky, University of Basel (Switzerland).
• 1987–92 Student-excavator, different sites in Switzerland.

Ongoing Scholarly Projects in Relation with Nabataean Studies

• 2004 – «Searching for Hellenistic Petra», co-director together with Prof. David F. Graf, University of Miami (USA) and Dr. Leigh-Ann Bedal, Pennsylvania State University (USA). Although the Nabataeans are attested, according to the literary sources, in southern Jordan since 312 BC, confirmed physical remains of that presence are lacking until now. In order to verify different hypotheses against a concrete background, a few specific archaeological soundings shall be realised within the city centre of Petra.
• 2003 – «The Heroön of Calydon», in co-operation with the Danish Institute at Athens and the Greek Archaeological Society. The Heroön at Calydon in Western Greece was excavated by a Greek-Danish team in the early 20th century. Since several years a new Greek-Danish team continues work at the site of Calydon. The interesting complex of the Heroön offers plenty of comparisons to the problematic of Hellenistic and Roman palaces and rich funeral complexes such as those of Nabataean Petra.
• 2002 – «Heinrich Schliemann’s Trip to the Near East in 1858–1859». Before discovering Troja and Mycenae and becoming a famous archaeologist, Heinrich Schliemann used to be a very successful businessman owning major stocks on companies all over the world including the USA and Cuba. In 1858 and 1859 he undertook an extended trip to the Mediterranean, Egypt and the Near East. As businessman he got used to keep detailed diaries and later he used the same method for documenting his excavations. The unedited diary of this trip is kept at the Gennadius Library of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens. A first presentation dealing with Schliemann’s visit of Petra on May 1st 1859 was given in October 2003 at a colloquium at Oxford.
• 1999 – «The International Wadi Farasa Project, Petra (IWFP)». Focusing on one of the most spectacular architectural complexes of ancient Petra, the so-called Soldier’s Tomb, the project aims to explore the connection between the Nabataean rock-cut façades and Hellenistic and Roman palace architecture (www.auac.ch).

Publications

• For publications related to Nabataean studies go to the bibliographical database of BNS.

© AUAC 2010 (barmasse.org)