Associate Prof. Mag. Dr. Marta Luciani

Contact

Teaching at the University of Vienna

 

Profile

Marta Luciani is an Associate Professor at the University of Vienna, specializing in Archaeology and History of the Ancient Near East. With a Ph.D. in Mesopotamian Studies from Naples, Italy,, she holds the venia legendi for Archaeology and History of the Ancient Near East from the University of Vienna. Marta Luciani’s expertise encompasses settlement and funerary archaeology in the regions of Mesopotamia, Syria, the Levant, Anatolia, and the Arabian Peninsula. Engaged in cutting-edge projects, including the Northwest Sulaimaniyah Survey and excavations at Chemchemal in Iraqi Kurdistan, as well as the Archaeological Project at Qurayyah, Saudi Arabia, Marta Luciani plays a pivotal role in advancing our understanding of ancient civilizations. Gender archaeology and the empowerment of women in Western Asia are additional points of engagement. Marta Luciani is member of the Research Focus “Visual Cultural History – Cultures and Media of the Visual” and teaches Neolithic and Copper Age at the University of Vienna.

 

Key Research Topics

  • Bronze and Iron Age Mesopotamia, Syria, the Levant, Anatolia and the Arabian Peninsula
  • Funerary, settlement and landscape archaeology
  • Methods and techniques of field archaeology
  • Gender archaeology in the Ancient Near East
  • Historical geography and regional studies of Syria and Mesopotamia
  • Capacity building: Training and empowering female colleagues in present today's Near East

 

Current Projects

Northwest Sulaimaniyah Survey and Excavations at Chemchemal, Autonomous Region of Iraqi Kurdistan (German Archaeological Institute/DAI, University of Vienna and Sulaimaniyah Directorate of Antiquities)

Study of the excavation records and glyptic material from ancient Nuzi, Harvard Semitic Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA

Archaeological Project at Qurayyah, Saudi Arabia (University of Vienna and Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage/SCTH)

 

Publications

 

Curriculum Vitae

since 2019: Tenured Associate Professor of Near Eastern Archaeology and History, Department of Prehistoric and Historical Archaeology, University of Vienna

2015-2016: Adjunct Professor of Near Eastern Archaeology, New York University, Institute for the Study of the Ancient World (ISAW), New York, NY, USA

since 2014: Director of the Archaeological Project at Qurayyah, Saudi Arabia (University of Vienna and Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage /SCTH)

since 2013: Study of the excavation records and glyptic material from ancient Nuzi, Harvard Semitic Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA

since 2011: Co-Director of the German-Austrian Northwest Sulaimaniyah Survey and Excavations at Chemchemal, Autonomous Region of Iraqi Kurdistan (DAI, University of Vienna and Sulaimaniyah Directorate of Antiquities)

2007-2012: Head of the training programme in archaeological conservation and museum management for Saudi Arabian female graduate students and museum employees at the National Museum, Riyadh (German Academic Exchange Service/DAAD, German Archaeological Institute/DAI, Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities/SCTA, King Saud University, Riyadh)

2004-2005: Field director of the Italian team within the joint research project at Tavium, province of Yozgat, Turkey (Universities of Klagenfurt, Udine, Verona and Trieste)

2004-2015: Lecturer, Assistant and Associate Professor of Near Eastern Archaeology and History, Department of Oriental Studies, University of Vienna

2003-2008: Contract Professor for Ancient Near Eastern Archaeology, University of Verona, Italy

2000-2001: Contract Professor for Middle and Near Eastern Archaeology at the University of Udine (Gorizia), Italy

2000-2004: Researcher positions on archaeological projects at the University of Udine, Italy

1999-2005: Vice-Director of the Italian component of the joint mission at Tell Mishrifeh/Qatna, Syria (Universities of Udine and Verona)

 

Academic Education

2007: Habilitation at the University of Vienna, Austria: venia legendi for Archaeology and History of the Ancient Near East

1999: Postdoc Specialization (specializzazione) in Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, University of Pisa, Italy, with honours, funded by a three-year full specialization scholarship

1996: PhD in Mesopotamian Studies, Istituto Universitario Orientale, Naples, Italy, with three-year full PhD scholarship

1991: M.A. (laurea) in Ancient Near Eastern History at the University of Padua, Italy, with honours

 

Languages

Italian

German

English

French

Spoken Arabic

 

Content: M. Luciani, November 2023