Oliver Dietrich
Biographic Data
| ID | 668885 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Oliver Dietrich |
| GIVEN NAMES | Oliver |
| FAMILY NAME | Dietrich |
| SIGNATURE | DIETRICH O |
| AFFILIATIONS | Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Zentrale |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-7013-3317 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 17 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 75 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 17 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2010 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Ritual encounters at the northern periphery of the early Neolithic world. A roe deer antler headdress from Eilsleben, Börde county, Saxony-Anhalt
Following the results of aDNA studies, the Neolithic expansion into central Europe has been identified with a massive movement of people. Archaeological data however speak against a complete population turnover. Differing between regions, displacement in peripheral zones occurs as well as parallel use of geographical spaces. In any case, initial colonization is rapidly followed by exchange between the farmers and foragers. Drawing on a find from …
Shamanism at Early Neolithic Göbekli Tepe, southeastern Turkey. Methodological contributions to an archaeology of belief
The term shamanism is widely used in archaeology to describe early belief systems. Sometimes, this has taken the form of a one-size-fits-all-explanation, without a discussion of the concept or the cultural contexts it was applied to. Recently, the Early Neolithic (9600–7000 BCE) of southwestern Asia has become a focal point of this discussion. Sites like Nevalı Çori, Göbekli Tepe, Jerf el Ahmar, Körtik Tepe, Tell Abr’3, Tell Qaramel, Wadi Faynan …
Early Neolithic imagery in flux
Stone is often regarded as the ideal medium for the long-term preservation of knowledge, as it is resistant to change. Early to middle Pre-Pottery Neolithic Göbekli Tepe in southeastern Turkey has repeatedly been treated as a prime example for such external memorial storage in durable stone. The present paper challenges this view. A close examination of pillars and their reliefs in Building F reveals the fluid character of imagery with repeated a…
Scrap Metal Hoards’ of the Later Urnfield Period in the Carpathian Basin
Large ‘scrap’ metal hoards have so far been seen as a characteristic of the older Urnfield Period in the eastern Carpathian Basin. Using the hoard from Dezmir, Romania, as a starting point, this paper describes a group of hoards with chronologically and spatially diverse components. These hoards were hidden during the younger Urnfield Period and represent smaller variants of the older, large ‘scrap’ hoards. Earlier research has used them to defin…
Hermetic Cereal Storage in the Bronze Age
The present paper explores the possibility to better understand the function of pits through phytolith and starch analysis. A case study from the Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age settlement phase of Rotbav in southeastern Transylvania is discussed in detail. It appears that a large storage vessel originally sealed with a bowl was kept in a pit filled with chaff or straw to preserve its contents
Hortfund – Einzelfund – Einstückhort. Versuch einer Begriffsschärfung anhand des Beispiels der rumänischen Tüllenbeile
Single finds have so far often been neglected by archaeologists. This is partly based on a terminological fuzziness: the category ‘single find‘ is often not clearly differentiated from artefacts without information on find circumstances. The present paper used the Bronze Age socketed axes from Romania as a case study to show the potential value of real single finds (i.e. artefacts that have securely been found isolated). Mapping of single finds a…
Göbekli Tepe
Investigating the function of Pre-Pottery Neolithic stone troughs from Göbekli Tepe – An integrated approach
An integrated approach using contextual, use-wear, scientific and experimental methods was used to analyze the role of stone troughs of up to 165 l capacity at the Early Neolithic site Göbekli Tepe in the context of other stone containers found there. Around 600 (mostly fragmentary) vessels from the site constitute the largest known assemblage from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic of the Near East. Besides the large limestone troughs, it encompasses mid…
Göbekli Tepe
The meaning of projectile points in the Late Neolithic of the Northern Levant
Our contribution explores the possibilities of inferring the functions of Late Neolithic projectile points from the settlement of Shir, Syria. Use-wear and metrical values are applied to differentiate between arrowheads, darts and thrusting spears, followed by a discussion of hints for use for hunting or as weapons for interpersonal conflict. Weapons get larger and more visible exactly in the moment when hunting declines as a basis for subsistenc…
Masks and masquerade in the Early Neolithic
This paper reviews evidence for masks in the Upper Mesopotamian Pre-Pottery Neolithic. Possible stone miniatures (and one supra life-sized example) of masks from sites like Jerf el Ahmar, Göbekli Tepe and Nevalı Çori are discussed. It is argued that during the early Neolithic in the Near East, masks and masking possessed a significant role in rituals reenacting mythological narratives closely related to death, taking place at sites with special p…
Almost a chest hit
Deciphering Feasting in the Late Bronze Age Settlement of Rotbav, Transylvania
In the present article we explore the possibilities of reconstructing social behaviour through a detailed analysis of the so-called ‘ashmounds’ of the Late Bronze Age in Eastern Europe, starting from new research at a settlement of the Noua culture, Rotbav in south-eastern Transylvania. For the first time, the excavations comprised not only the ‘ashmound’ but also its vicinity, revealing the existence of structures like houses and pits. Furthermo…
Learning from ‘Scrap’ about Late Bronze Age Hoarding Practices
Hoard finds appear throughout the European Bronze Age with distinct chronological and chorological peaks. While there is some consensus on seeing hoards as an expression of cultic behaviour, the large ‘scrap metal' hoards in particular still provoke interpretations as raw material collected for recycling. With socketed axes whose sockets were intentionally filled with deliberately fragmented metalwork, Hansen (1996–1998) has pointed out a group o…
The role of cult and feasting in the emergence of Neolithic communities. New evidence from Göbekli Tepe, south-eastern Turkey
Göbekli Tepe is one of the most important archaeological discoveries of modern times, pushing back the origins of monumentality beyond the emergence of agriculture. We are pleased to present a summary of work in progress by the excavators of this remarkable site and their latest thoughts about its role and meaning. At the dawn of the Neolithic, hunter-gatherers congregating at Göbekli Tepe created social and ideological cohesion through the carvi…
Wietenberg ohne Mykene? Gedanken zu Herkunft und Bedeutung der Keramikverzierung der Wietenberg-Kultur
Die Feinkeramik der mittelbronzezeitlichen Wietenberg-Kultur in Siebenbürgen ist gekennzeichnet durch Kompositionen aus gleichförmigen, sich wiederholenden ‚spiraloiden‘ oder ‚mäandroiden‘ Motiven. Diese pauschal als „Spiralzier“ bezeichneten Muster wurden oft mit Einflüssen aus dem mykenischen Raum in Verbindung gebracht. Ausgehend von einer detaillierten Untersuchung der Keramikzier der Wietenberg-Kultur wird nachgewiesen, dass es sich nicht im…
Marek Gedl, Die Lanzenspitzen in Polen
The role of cult and feasting in the emergence of Neolithic communities. New evidence from Göbekli Tepe, south-eastern Turkey
Göbekli Tepe is one of the most important archaeological discoveries of modern times, pushing back the origins of monumentality beyond the emergence of agriculture. We are pleased to present a summary of work in progress by the excavators of this remarkable site and their latest thoughts about its role and meaning. At the dawn of the Neolithic, hunter-gatherers congregating at Göbekli Tepe created social and ideological cohesion through the carvi…
Learning from ‘Scrap’ about Late Bronze Age Hoarding Practices
Hoard finds appear throughout the European Bronze Age with distinct chronological and chorological peaks. While there is some consensus on seeing hoards as an expression of cultic behaviour, the large ‘scrap metal' hoards in particular still provoke interpretations as raw material collected for recycling. With socketed axes whose sockets were intentionally filled with deliberately fragmented metalwork, Hansen (1996–1998) has pointed out a group o…
Shamanism at Early Neolithic Göbekli Tepe, southeastern Turkey. Methodological contributions to an archaeology of belief
The term shamanism is widely used in archaeology to describe early belief systems. Sometimes, this has taken the form of a one-size-fits-all-explanation, without a discussion of the concept or the cultural contexts it was applied to. Recently, the Early Neolithic (9600–7000 BCE) of southwestern Asia has become a focal point of this discussion. Sites like Nevalı Çori, Göbekli Tepe, Jerf el Ahmar, Körtik Tepe, Tell Abr’3, Tell Qaramel, Wadi Faynan …
Investigating the function of Pre-Pottery Neolithic stone troughs from Göbekli Tepe – An integrated approach
An integrated approach using contextual, use-wear, scientific and experimental methods was used to analyze the role of stone troughs of up to 165 l capacity at the Early Neolithic site Göbekli Tepe in the context of other stone containers found there. Around 600 (mostly fragmentary) vessels from the site constitute the largest known assemblage from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic of the Near East. Besides the large limestone troughs, it encompasses mid…
Wietenberg ohne Mykene? Gedanken zu Herkunft und Bedeutung der Keramikverzierung der Wietenberg-Kultur
Die Feinkeramik der mittelbronzezeitlichen Wietenberg-Kultur in Siebenbürgen ist gekennzeichnet durch Kompositionen aus gleichförmigen, sich wiederholenden ‚spiraloiden‘ oder ‚mäandroiden‘ Motiven. Diese pauschal als „Spiralzier“ bezeichneten Muster wurden oft mit Einflüssen aus dem mykenischen Raum in Verbindung gebracht. Ausgehend von einer detaillierten Untersuchung der Keramikzier der Wietenberg-Kultur wird nachgewiesen, dass es sich nicht im…
Deciphering Feasting in the Late Bronze Age Settlement of Rotbav, Transylvania
In the present article we explore the possibilities of reconstructing social behaviour through a detailed analysis of the so-called ‘ashmounds’ of the Late Bronze Age in Eastern Europe, starting from new research at a settlement of the Noua culture, Rotbav in south-eastern Transylvania. For the first time, the excavations comprised not only the ‘ashmound’ but also its vicinity, revealing the existence of structures like houses and pits. Furthermo…
Marek Gedl, Die Lanzenspitzen in Polen
Wietenberg ohne Mykene? Gedanken zu Herkunft und Bedeutung der Keramikverzierung der Wietenberg-Kultur
Die Feinkeramik der mittelbronzezeitlichen Wietenberg-Kultur in Siebenbürgen ist gekennzeichnet durch Kompositionen aus gleichförmigen, sich wiederholenden ‚spiraloiden‘ oder ‚mäandroiden‘ Motiven. Diese pauschal als „Spiralzier“ bezeichneten Muster wurden oft mit Einflüssen aus dem mykenischen Raum in Verbindung gebracht. Ausgehend von einer detaillierten Untersuchung der Keramikzier der Wietenberg-Kultur wird nachgewiesen, dass es sich nicht im…
The role of cult and feasting in the emergence of Neolithic communities. New evidence from Göbekli Tepe, south-eastern Turkey
Göbekli Tepe is one of the most important archaeological discoveries of modern times, pushing back the origins of monumentality beyond the emergence of agriculture. We are pleased to present a summary of work in progress by the excavators of this remarkable site and their latest thoughts about its role and meaning. At the dawn of the Neolithic, hunter-gatherers congregating at Göbekli Tepe created social and ideological cohesion through the carvi…
Learning from ‘Scrap’ about Late Bronze Age Hoarding Practices
Hoard finds appear throughout the European Bronze Age with distinct chronological and chorological peaks. While there is some consensus on seeing hoards as an expression of cultic behaviour, the large ‘scrap metal' hoards in particular still provoke interpretations as raw material collected for recycling. With socketed axes whose sockets were intentionally filled with deliberately fragmented metalwork, Hansen (1996–1998) has pointed out a group o…
Deciphering Feasting in the Late Bronze Age Settlement of Rotbav, Transylvania
In the present article we explore the possibilities of reconstructing social behaviour through a detailed analysis of the so-called ‘ashmounds’ of the Late Bronze Age in Eastern Europe, starting from new research at a settlement of the Noua culture, Rotbav in south-eastern Transylvania. For the first time, the excavations comprised not only the ‘ashmound’ but also its vicinity, revealing the existence of structures like houses and pits. Furthermo…
Masks and masquerade in the Early Neolithic
This paper reviews evidence for masks in the Upper Mesopotamian Pre-Pottery Neolithic. Possible stone miniatures (and one supra life-sized example) of masks from sites like Jerf el Ahmar, Göbekli Tepe and Nevalı Çori are discussed. It is argued that during the early Neolithic in the Near East, masks and masking possessed a significant role in rituals reenacting mythological narratives closely related to death, taking place at sites with special p…
Almost a chest hit
Göbekli Tepe
The meaning of projectile points in the Late Neolithic of the Northern Levant
Our contribution explores the possibilities of inferring the functions of Late Neolithic projectile points from the settlement of Shir, Syria. Use-wear and metrical values are applied to differentiate between arrowheads, darts and thrusting spears, followed by a discussion of hints for use for hunting or as weapons for interpersonal conflict. Weapons get larger and more visible exactly in the moment when hunting declines as a basis for subsistenc…
Göbekli Tepe
Investigating the function of Pre-Pottery Neolithic stone troughs from Göbekli Tepe – An integrated approach
An integrated approach using contextual, use-wear, scientific and experimental methods was used to analyze the role of stone troughs of up to 165 l capacity at the Early Neolithic site Göbekli Tepe in the context of other stone containers found there. Around 600 (mostly fragmentary) vessels from the site constitute the largest known assemblage from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic of the Near East. Besides the large limestone troughs, it encompasses mid…
Hortfund – Einzelfund – Einstückhort. Versuch einer Begriffsschärfung anhand des Beispiels der rumänischen Tüllenbeile
Single finds have so far often been neglected by archaeologists. This is partly based on a terminological fuzziness: the category ‘single find‘ is often not clearly differentiated from artefacts without information on find circumstances. The present paper used the Bronze Age socketed axes from Romania as a case study to show the potential value of real single finds (i.e. artefacts that have securely been found isolated). Mapping of single finds a…
Scrap Metal Hoards’ of the Later Urnfield Period in the Carpathian Basin
Large ‘scrap’ metal hoards have so far been seen as a characteristic of the older Urnfield Period in the eastern Carpathian Basin. Using the hoard from Dezmir, Romania, as a starting point, this paper describes a group of hoards with chronologically and spatially diverse components. These hoards were hidden during the younger Urnfield Period and represent smaller variants of the older, large ‘scrap’ hoards. Earlier research has used them to defin…
Hermetic Cereal Storage in the Bronze Age
The present paper explores the possibility to better understand the function of pits through phytolith and starch analysis. A case study from the Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age settlement phase of Rotbav in southeastern Transylvania is discussed in detail. It appears that a large storage vessel originally sealed with a bowl was kept in a pit filled with chaff or straw to preserve its contents
Early Neolithic imagery in flux
Stone is often regarded as the ideal medium for the long-term preservation of knowledge, as it is resistant to change. Early to middle Pre-Pottery Neolithic Göbekli Tepe in southeastern Turkey has repeatedly been treated as a prime example for such external memorial storage in durable stone. The present paper challenges this view. A close examination of pillars and their reliefs in Building F reveals the fluid character of imagery with repeated a…
Shamanism at Early Neolithic Göbekli Tepe, southeastern Turkey. Methodological contributions to an archaeology of belief
The term shamanism is widely used in archaeology to describe early belief systems. Sometimes, this has taken the form of a one-size-fits-all-explanation, without a discussion of the concept or the cultural contexts it was applied to. Recently, the Early Neolithic (9600–7000 BCE) of southwestern Asia has become a focal point of this discussion. Sites like Nevalı Çori, Göbekli Tepe, Jerf el Ahmar, Körtik Tepe, Tell Abr’3, Tell Qaramel, Wadi Faynan …
Ritual encounters at the northern periphery of the early Neolithic world. A roe deer antler headdress from Eilsleben, Börde county, Saxony-Anhalt
Following the results of aDNA studies, the Neolithic expansion into central Europe has been identified with a massive movement of people. Archaeological data however speak against a complete population turnover. Differing between regions, displacement in peripheral zones occurs as well as parallel use of geographical spaces. In any case, initial colonization is rapidly followed by exchange between the farmers and foragers. Drawing on a find from …
Archaeology (13 works) · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies (11 works) · Geography (10 works) · Ancient history (8 works) · History (8 works) · Ancient Near East History (5 works) · Ancient and Medieval Archaeology Studies (4 works) · Art (4 works) · Geology (4 works) · History (4 works)