Robert Lehmann (chemist)

Robert Lehmann on the area of ​​the Roman marcher in Wilkenburg , 2017

Robert Lehmann (born April 26, 1982 in Alma-Ata ) is a German chemist specializing in archaeometry and numismatist .

General

Robert Lehmann studied at the University of Hanover and received his doctorate in 2011 with a thesis on the archaeometallurgy of medieval German silver bars and coins . He worked as a research assistant and lecturer at the Institute for Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Hanover, where he specialized in analytics and archaeometry . Since then he has been working as a natural science officer for the Lower Saxony State Office for Monument Preservation and supervises scientific qualification work at the University of Hanover. Currently (2019) he works in the Solid State Chemistry research group at the Helmholtz Institute Ulm , which carries out investigations beyond lithium-ion battery systems .

Chemist and analyst

Robert Lehmann headed the archeometry working group at the University of Hanover, which deals with interdisciplinary research at the interface between natural sciences and archeology . The tasks of the working group include the development of reliable provenance determinations using isotope systems and investigations into the extent to which isotope ratios in zinc are suitable for provenance analysis . In addition to the analytics working group, the working group is a specialized subgroup in the Institute for Inorganic Chemistry. As an employee of the analytics working group , Robert Lehmann carried out authenticity tests, including on coins and paintings . In 2013 he was involved in the analysis of a long-lost and re-emerged painting by Gustav Klimt . As part of his research, Lehmann created one of the largest lead biotope databases for determining the provenance of metal objects in Central Europe .

In Lower Saxony archeology projects, Lehmann is the main analyst for metal investigations. This is based on a cooperation between the University of Hanover and the Lower Saxony State Office for Monument Preservation, concluded in 2011 under the patronage of the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture . In this context, he has so far carried out analyzes on the Godehard shrine of the cathedral treasure in Hildesheim Cathedral , on finds from the Viking-era trading town of Bardowick , on finds from the mining archeology of the Harz Mountains and on objects from the excavation of the medieval Altes Lager mine on Rammelsberg . He carried out archaeometric investigations on the copper hatchet from Steinbergen found in 2011 and on the sword from Großenwieden found in 2012 and on the coin treasure of Lüneburg in 2014 . In individual cases Lehmann is also involved in the investigation of non-metallic finds, such as the Stone Age artefact of the Venus von Bierden . Furthermore, he is researching the origin of the iron of the Roman weapons found in the Harzhorn event around the year 235. Outside of Lower Saxony, he examined parts of the Epiphany shrine in Cologne Cathedral . Since 2015 he has been scientific officer for material analyzes for the Roman marching camp of Wilkenburg and carried out investigations on the bronze bucket from Sasendorf that year.

Due to its investigation methods and possibilities, the Institute for Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Hanover is a pioneer and contact center for the determination of lead and gold isotope ratios for the origin of silver, copper and bronze as well as for the determination of osmium isotopes for the origin of gold and iron. The investigations are carried out with methods of non-destructive and low-destruction material analysis, such as laser ablation and portable X-ray fluorescence . For laser ablation, Lehmann developed a new method with open chambers, which enables the examination of large objects. For the first time, cultural assets that have not yet been investigated due to their size can be determined en masse.

Lehmann receives analysis orders throughout Germany. On behalf of the archaeometer Andreas Hauptmann from the German Mining Museum in Bochum , he determined the provenance of silver found in the Viking city of Haithabu and gold from the royal tombs of Ur from the 3rd millennium BC. BC, which is one of the oldest gold of mankind. On behalf of the biblical archaeologist Dieter Vieweger , Lehmann examined the provenance of metal, glass and ceramic objects that the Biblical Archaeological Institute in Wuppertal had recovered from the Sea of ​​Galilee .

The archaeometallurgical investigations on the Bronze Age gold hoard of Gessel , in which Lehmann was involved, turned out to be particularly comprehensive in the cooperation between the Institute for Inorganic Chemistry and the Lower Saxony State Office for Monument Preservation .

The investigations on the Goldhort discovered in 2011 were carried out by means of X-ray fluorescence analysis and lead isotope examinations by laser ablation as well as in comparison with a database and other museum comparative objects . On the basis of this, Lehmann concluded that although the majority of the gold could come from the Balkans, some of the gold could come from Central Asia, about 7,000 kilometers away, with today's states of Kazakhstan , Afghanistan and Tajikistan . Because of the underlying database, this assumption met with criticism from other archaeometallurists such as Ernst Pernicka ; but it was maintained by Lehmann. In 2016, based on his investigations, Lehmann expressed doubts about the authenticity of the Moordorf gold disc .

Robert Lehmann has been a member of the spokesman's council of the Lower Saxony Archaeological Working Group since 2014 . As one of the co-founders of the Römer AG Leine (RAGL), he has been committed to the preservation of the Roman Marchers of Wilkenburg since 2015 .

numismatist

Lehmann has been working intensively with coins since his youth. His tasks in the analytics working group at the University of Hanover include the scientific detection of counterfeit coins. He is one of the world's most active numisanalysts and conducts advanced training courses for coin assessors on counterfeit detection. He is also involved in several international projects, including the Institute for Numismatics and Monetary History at the University of Vienna , on the coin background. He is a founding member of the international working group for experimental numismatics based in Munich. From 2012 to 2019 Lehmann was President of the Numismatic Society in Hanover , which was founded in 1859 as a coin research association and is one of the oldest numismatic societies in Germany. Robert Lehmann has been writing an overview series on medieval coinage in German-speaking countries since 2012. He is the main appraiser and arbitrator for material analyzes at a leading European auction house for coins. As an expert , he prepares reports on the authenticity of coins for courts .

Fonts

Selection:

Monographs

• Archaeometallurgy of medieval German silver bars and coins , Vienna, 2013 PhD thesis at the natural science faculty of Leibniz University Hannover ( online ) (pdf, 4.5 MB)
• with Carla Vogt: Counterfeit detection in numismatics with modern scientific methods , Vienna 2013
• with others: Nub Nefer - Gutes Gold , Hanoverian Numismatic Contributions 1, 2014

Book contributions

• in: Volker Weege: Counterfeiting of Coins - German Empire , Vienna, 2008
• Roman silver bars as legionary gold - analyzes of the production and function of the finds from Lower Saxony in: Nub Nefer - Gutes Gold , Hannoversche Numismatic Contributions 1, 2014
• 150 years of tradition - past - present - future. From the Münzforscherverein to the Numismatic Society of Hanover e. V. in: Nub Nefer - Gutes Gold , Hanoverian Numismatic Contributions 1, 2014
• with Carla Vogt, Ingo Horn: Provenance analyzes on samples from the Dreikönigenschrein by lead isotope ratio analyzes using fs laser ablation mass spectrometry (fs-LA-ICP-MCMS) , In: Kemper, D .: Die Goldschmiedarbeiten am Dreikönigenschrein , Volume 1, Studies on Cologne Dom Volume 11, Verlag Köln Dom, 2014, pp. 393–394

Analytical publications

• Characterization of inhomogeneous materials using the example of medieval silver bars , Leibniz University Hannover, Hannover, 2007
• with Artur Lehmann, C. Jianfeng: When the chemistry is right ... Embossing stamps and embossing technology: An exemplary collaboration between the Institute for Inorganic Chemistry Hannover, the State Museum and the local numismatists , coins and paper money, 2008
• with Carla Vogt, Reiner Cunz : Material and material studies on late medieval silver bars - first results of an interdisciplinary cooperation , Archäologisches Nachrichtenblatt, 2008
• with Carla Vogt: If you don't honor the penny, the mark isn't worth it? What the archaeometallurgy of medieval money tells us about our ancestors in: Praxis der Naturwissenschaften , 2011
• with Henning Haßmann , Tina Heintges, Bernd Rasink, Carla Vogt, Stefan Winghart , Friedrich-Wilhelm Wulf: The Bronze Age gold hoard of Gessel , City of Syke, Ldkr. Diepholz, Archäologisches Korrespondenzblatt, Mainz, 2012
• with Carla Vogt: Scientific analyzes on the gold treasure of Gessel in: Reports on the preservation of monuments in Lower Saxony , 1/2012

Other publications

• with Artur Lehmann: The Sasanian Empire: Ardashir I. - The Birth of a World Empire , in: Money Trend , 2007
• with Artur Lehmann: The Sasanid Empire: Shapur II (309–379 AD) - Clash of Cultures , in: Money Trend, 2007
• with Artur Lehmann: The Sasanid Empire: Shapur III (383–388 AD) - incursion of the steppe peoples , in: Money Trend, 2007
• with Artur Lehmann: On the role of the gold currency in the Sasanian Empire and the Kushan Empire , in: Money Trend, 2007
• with Artur Lehmann: The Sasanid Empire: Khusro II. (591–628 AD) - Part I: The Last Golden Age , in: Money Trend, 2008
• with Artur Lehmann: The Sasanid Empire: The Coin Minting of the Mighty Great Queens , in: Money Trend, 2008

Web links

Commons : Robert Lehmann  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Literature by and about Robert Lehmann in the catalog of the German National Library
• Publications page at Academia.edu
• Description of Robert Lehmann as President of the Numismatic Society Hanover in: MünzenWoche of May 31, 2012

Individual evidence

1. ↑ The chemistry of wealth in Peiner Allgemeine from August 11, 2009
2. ^ The members of the Solid State Chemistry Research Group at the Helmholtz Institute Ulm
3. ↑ Archaeometric research in Lower Saxony ( Memento of the original from March 9, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
4. ↑ Lost Gustav Klimt painting found? ( Memento of the original from September 23, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Press conference on forensic analyzes of the missing Klimt picture on January 16, 2013. 
5. ↑ Investigation of the Hildesheim Cathedral Treasure ( Memento of the original from February 13, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . 
6. ↑ Symposium "The resin - source of raw materials in Europe since the Bronze Age" of 6-eighth June 2013 in Goslar ( Memento of the original from November 11, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . 
7. ^ Juliane Kaune: Night of Science at the University of Hanover in: Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung of November 9, 2012 .
8. ↑ Goldschatz von Gessel - production technology and provenance at Leibniz University Hannover, working group on archaeometry
9. ↑ Robert Lehmann, Bernd Rasink, Artur Lehman, Georgios Avraam: Bronze Age Gold from Lower Saxony - Function, Production and Origin in FAN Post of the Circle of Friends for Archeology in Lower Saxony , 2018, pp. 33-35 ( Online , pdf, 2.3 MB)
10. ↑ Gold of Inestimable Profit for Science in Süddeutsche from 23 August 2013 .
11. ^ Archeology along the pipeline in: (w) wie know from August 6, 2013 .
12. ↑ The fingerprint of gold in: T-Online from April 18, 2012  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved November 12, 2013.  
13. ↑ Matthias Schulz: Hort auf dem Acker in: Der Spiegel from June 18, 2012 .
14. ^ The Römer AG Leine (RAGL) .
15. ↑ Conference on the use of scientific methods in the detection of counterfeit coins on November 27, 2010 ( Memento of the original from March 9, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .  
16. ↑ List of publications by Dr. Robert Lehmann ( Memento of the original dated November 11, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . 
17. ↑ Overall scientific processing by Robert Lehmann with his own texts on about 300 pages of 335 pages
18. ↑ ^{a b c d e f} Publication in the magazine Money Trend recognized as specialist publications by the Institute for Numismatics and Monetary History at the University of Vienna .