New Emmy Noether Group

The German Research Foundation ( DFG) is funding a new Emmy Noether research group, SeaFront, at the Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum (RGZM) Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Archäologie in Mainz. The project will receive funding of 1.6 million Euros for six years and will be launched in February 2021 under the direction of Dr. Niklas Hausmann.

Project aims

The project aims to verify the on-site and short-term impacts of long-term climatic trends on early Neolithic farmers in the Mediterranean using high-resolution records from archaeological mollusc shells. For this purpose, Niklas has developed an inexpensive Laser-mapping system that allows a rapid analysis of shell climate records within minutes. Using this new technique, it will for the first time be possible to access large sample sizes and build a comprehensive model of climatic impacts that were immediately experienced by early farmers.
The project also aims to make use of the strong stratigraphic connection between mollusc shells and other archaeological finds of the same contexts to explore the individual climatic circumstances of the last few years prior to deposition. By analysing climate records found within the archaeological site it is much easier to infer climatic impacts or non-impact on human agency and to assess the resilience of past populations faced with climatic change.

Sites and collaborators

The group will work on several important archaeological sites in the Mediterranean (Franchthi, Grotta dell’Uzzo, Grotta d’Oriente, Cyclops Cave, and Haua Fteah) together with specialists from those sites to provide their detailed knowledge of the local archaeology: Catherine Perlés, André Colonese, Karen Vitelli, Marcello Mannino, Lilian Karali-Giannakopoulou, and Amy Prendergast.

In Mainz itself, Niklas and his group will collaborate closely with the Johannes-Gutenberg-Universität and the Palaeontology group of the Institute of Geosciences.

New positions

The project will offer employment for 2 PhD students and 1 postdoctoral researcher. The first call for applications will start soon and will be published on this website.

The Emmy Noether-Programm

The Emmy Noether-Program of the German Research Foundation ( DFG) offers particularly qualified young scientists the opportunity to qualify for a university professorship over a maximum period of six years by leading a junior research group on their own responsibility. The program recalls Emmy Noether (1882-1935) who was a German mathematician considered a founder of modern algebra. Numerous phenomena and theories are named after her.

Niklas Hausmann
Niklas Hausmann
Emmy Noether Group Leader

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