Key research themes
1. How did iron metallurgy innovations and their socio-political contexts shape the adoption of iron in different European regions?
This theme investigates the origins, technological developments, and socio-political factors influencing the innovation and adoption of iron metallurgy across Europe and adjacent regions during the Iron Age. It explores early attempts at iron smelting, the diffusion of iron technology relative to bronze economies, and how varying social complexities and political structures shaped iron’s integration into societies. The research emphasizes the multifaceted drivers behind iron use beyond simple material advantages, highlighting regional and temporal disparities in iron adoption and associated societal transformations.
2. What do settlement patterns, urbanism alternatives, and metal resource exchanges reveal about social organization and interregional interactions in Iron Age Europe?
This research theme addresses the spatial organization, urban characteristics, and interregional metal circulation during the Iron Age in Europe. It investigates the nature of oppida as complex social centers diverging from classical urban models, exchanges of metal sources between geographically disparate regions, and settlement location choices shaped by environmental and social factors. The theme contributes to understanding the diversity of Iron Age social complexity and connectivity beyond simplistic urban or economic models.
3. How can bioarchaeological proxies and interdisciplinary methodologies enhance the reconstruction of Iron Age land-use, social dynamics, and cultural identity?
This theme examines the application of scientific techniques such as faecal biomarker analysis, archaeometallurgical compositional studies, landscape detection via AI-assisted Lidar, and interdisciplinary approaches to the characterization of Iron Age socio-environmental systems. It focuses on the refinement of palaeoenvironmental reconstructions, demographic estimations, and cultural interpretations through novel empirical data and methodological innovations, advancing understandings of Iron Age land-use histories, social stratification, and technological expressions.