Eurasia Department of the German Archaeological Institute

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Logo of the German Archaeological Institute

The Eurasia Department of the German Archaeological Institute (DAI), a federal agency within the Federal Foreign Office , was founded on January 1, 1995 with the aim of investigating the interactions between the nomadic and sedentary cultures of the Eurasian steppe region and the areas adjacent to the south from prehistory to explore until the Middle Ages . In addition, the relationship between technical innovations and social processes as well as the spread of innovations in the Eurasian area are at the center of the research. The area of ​​work covers the territory of the Russian Federation , the CIS states and neighboring countries ( Iran , Afghanistan , Pakistan , Mongolia , People's Republic of China ). The first director of the department is currently Svend Hansen .

History and tasks

With the political changes in the territory of the Soviet Union , there were also new opportunities for cooperation in the scientific field. It was in this climate that the Eurasia Department was founded, and at the same time responsibility for the archeology of the steppe between the Urals and the Pacific changed from the Commission for Archeology of Non-European Cultures to the Eurasia Department. In 1996 the Tehran department of the DAI , which had been independent until then, was converted into a branch of the Eurasia department. Today there are various cooperation agreements with scientific institutions in the countries of the research area. The Eurasia Department offers international scholars important infrastructure and the opportunity to present their research results in recognized publication series. In 1997 the Eurasia department moved from Leipziger Strasse in Berlin-Mitte to Im Dol street in Berlin-Dahlem , where it is still housed today.

Library

To establish the department, the book holdings of the Department of Prehistory and Early History of the Central Institute for Ancient History and Archeology of the Academy of Sciences of the GDR were merged with parts of the library in the Tehran Department, which were brought back to Berlin from there, to create a scientific library whose collection area mainly includes literature on archeology in the areas of the Russian Federation, the CIS countries, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Mongolia and China as well as the prehistoric archeology of Central and Eastern Europe. Another focus are writings on archaeological theory and method as well as on archaeometry . The total inventory comprises around 77,500 volumes, most of which are indexed via the ZENON library catalog of the DAI libraries. The completed bibliography on the archeology of Eurasia up to 2001 can also be found here.

Publications

Eurasia Antiqua has been part of the Eurasia Department since 1995. Journal for Archeology of Eurasia published as the department's publication organ. The journal Archäologische Mitteilungen aus Iran und Turan (Archaeological Messages from Iran until 1996), which was published by the Tehran Department of the DAI until 1994, has since been continued by the Eurasia Department. The monograph series Materials on Iranian Archeology has been published in an informal sequence since 1993, archeology in Eurasia since 1996, archeology in Iran and Turan since 1997 as well as colloquia on prehistory and since 2009 archeology in China. The Eurasia Department continues to be the (co-) editor of the Iranian Monuments, Pontus Septentrionalis and Steppe Peoples of Eurasia series.

Directors

Branch office Tehran

The Tehran Department, founded in 1961, has been a branch of the Eurasia Department of the DAI since 1996 . The Tehran branch is headed by Barbara Helwing .

Beijing branch

On November 13, 2009, a cooperation agreement was reached between the Chinese Academy for the Cultural Heritage of the People's Republic of China and the DAI, thereby establishing the Beijing branch of the Eurasia Department. In 2009 the DAI also rented office space in Beijing. The German Archaeological Institute is the first and only foreign research institute that is focused on archeology and monument protection with a permanent establishment in China. The Beijing branch is headed by Mayke Wagner .

literature

  • Astrid Dostert (Ed.): Between cultures and continents. 175 years of research at the German Archaeological Institute , Berlin 2004, pp. 120-133.
  • Helmut Kyrieleis : Address on the occasion of the opening of the Eurasia Department , In: Eurasia Antiqua. Journal of Archeology of Eurasia 1, 1995, pp. 3-6.
  • Hermann Parzinger : Perspectives and research projects of the Eurasia Department of the German Archaeological Institute , In: Eurasia Antiqua. Journal of Archeology of Eurasia 1, 1995, pp. 7-14.
  • Hermann Parzinger: Archeology on the edge of the steppe , In: Antike Welt 29, 1998, pp. 97-108.

Web links

supporting documents

  1. ZENON catalog of the Eurasia department