Biblical-Archaeological Institute Wuppertal
| Biblical-Archaeological Institute Wuppertal (BAI) | |
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| Category: | University institute / affiliated institute |
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| Facility location: | Freudenberg campus, Wuppertal , Germany |
| Subjects: | Archeology , biblical archeology |
| Management: | Dieter Vieweger |
| Homepage: | www.bai-wuppertal.de |
The Biblical-Archaeological Institute Wuppertal (BAI) was founded in 1999 by the Evangelical Church in the Rhineland . It is an institute of the Kirchliche Hochschule Wuppertal / Bethel and an affiliated institute of the Bergische Universität Wuppertal with the right to award doctorates at both universities. A Circle of Friends (eV) provides the institute with the necessary financial resources.
Scientific goals
Four scientific priorities have been pursued since 1999:
- Excavation projects (especially in the Eastern Mediterranean)
- Application of modern methods in archeology - for example geophysics (geoelectrics with tomography; geomagnetics; georadar) and terrestrial photogrammetry
- Archaeometry (chemical and mineralogical ceramic investigations; afterburning tests); The aim is to write a technical history of ceramic production in the target area
- Experimental archeology (production of ceramic replicas using historically correct methods).
Various projects
The institute has carried out excavations and geophysical prospecting in Italy , Greece , Israel and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in recent years .
- Villa Adriana (Italy) 2002-2004
- geophysical prospecting in Olympia (Greece) 2001
- Esch-Schallaf (Jordan) 1998–1999
- Ba'ja I near Petra (Jordan) 1999
- Sal (Jordan) 1999-2000
Main archaeological projects
The Gadara Region Project and the Tall Zira'a
The Wadi el-'Arab with the Tall Zira'a 2007
The Tall Zira'a in spring 2008
Experimental archeology at Tall Zira'a 2006
Finds from Tall Zira'a from 2007
With the Gadara Region Project since 2001, the focus of the work has been on researching the region around Gadara. The largest place in the study area is Tall Zira'a with a settlement history of more than 5000 years. A Tell survey was carried out here in 2001 and a long-term project started in 2003 with the first excavations, which is expected to continue until at least 2015. The German Evangelical Institute for Classical Studies in the Holy Land of Amman has been a partner in the project since 2004 . Since 2006 also the institute of the same name in Jerusalem .
Settlements from over five millennia are being excavated on Tall Zira'a . In addition, the soil and agricultural possibilities, flora and fauna, geology, hydrology, trade relations (roads, infrastructure) and the strategic importance of the Wadi el-Arab are explored. The Wadi el-'Arab (south of the ancient Gadara ) is examined over an area of 25 km². There are more than 100 prehistoric and ancient sites in this area.
With the help of archaeometry , it is clarified what materials the artifacts found on the Tall Zira'a are made of. The focus is on researching the composition of ceramics from different epochs, which provides information about their place of manufacture and the respective state of the (manufacturing) technology. The archeometry is accompanied by experimental archeology , in which the old furnace construction techniques and the firing of ceramics are simulated.
In the geophysical exploration of Tall Zira'a, geoelectrical mapping, two-dimensional tomography and three-dimensional tomographic techniques were used to
- plan archaeological excavations precisely in advance and define exact excavation strategies,
- Gaining knowledge about areas that have not been excavated and
- to keep larger excavation areas undamaged for future generations.
director
The first director of the Biblical Archaeological Institute, appointed in 1999, is Dieter Vieweger . Since November 2005 he has also been director of the German Evangelical Institute for Classical Studies of the Holy Land in Jerusalem and Amman .
Location
The move of the BAI into the premises of the Bergische Universität on the Freudenberg campus was celebrated on June 13, 2003 in the presence of the Rector of the University, the Rector of the Church College and Oberkirchenrat Dembeck (Evangelical Church in the Rhineland). At the celebratory event with 350 guests in the Audimax of the university's lecture hall center, the celebratory lectures were given by Ricardo Eichmann ( German Archaeological Institute , Berlin) and Günther Schauerte (Deputy General Director of the National Museums in Berlin ).
You can reach the BAI on the Freudenberg campus of the Bergische Universität Wuppertal . a. from the A 1 and A 46 via L 418 or by public transport from Wuppertal main station with the local bus "E". The institute is located on the third floor of the FD building.
Web links
Footnotes
Coordinates: 51 ° 14 ′ 24 ″ N , 7 ° 9 ′ 52 ″ E