Ana Maria Niveau de Villedary Mariñas

Ana Maria Niveau de Villedary Mariñas is a distinguished University Professor at the University of Cadiz, holding positions in the Department of History, Geography and Philosophy within the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters. She serves as Principal Investigator of the HUM-509 research group 'Phoenix Mediterranea,' focusing on the Historical-Archaeological and Cultural Heritage of Western Andalusia. Her research is conducted through the Marine Research Institute (INMAR) with specialization in Prehistory, particularly Phoenician-Punic archaeology of the Cádiz region.

She earned her doctorate from the University of Cadiz in 2001 with a thesis on 'Glazed Cadiz ceramics of the "Kuass Type" typology, production and distribution,' supervised by Dr. Diego Ruiz Mata. Her academic journey includes extensive international research stays in Italy (2000, 2002-04, 2018), Portugal (1997), France (2006), and the United Kingdom (1998, 2015, 2017), which have significantly shaped her research perspective and international collaborations.

Professor Niveau de Villedary Mariñas' research focuses on Western Phoenician colonization, with particular attention to funerary archaeology, ceramics analysis, and Ancient Near Eastern archaeology. Her groundbreaking work on 'Kuass-type' pottery revolutionized understanding of late pre-Roman periods in Western Mediterranean. She has pioneered research in revisionist historiography, incorporated new theoretical and methodological approaches to Phoenician-Punic funerary rituals, and analyzed territorial occupation strategies during Protohistory in the Bay of Cádiz and southwestern Iberian Peninsula. Her research demonstrates how Phoenician material culture evolved through local adaptation and cultural exchange.

Her extensive publication record shows consistent thematic development, with recent work expanding into digital archaeology, virtual reconstruction of archaeological contexts, and public outreach. She has increasingly focused on interdisciplinary approaches combining landscape archaeology with maritime cultural landscapes, while maintaining her core expertise in ceramic analysis and funerary practices. Her work demonstrates sophisticated methodological evolution from traditional typological studies to advanced spatial analysis and digital reconstruction techniques.

• Research Excellence Award (UCA, 2019)
• I3 certification recognizing research quality
• Four uninterrupted six-year research periods (1997-2020)
• Five regional sections (JA)
• Active participation in expert panels for AEI (Spain), REPRISE/MIUR (Italy), and European Science Foundation

Professor Niveau de Villedary Mariñas has secured substantial research funding as Principal Investigator, including a PGI from the Junta de Andalucía, a Bridge Project from the UCA Own Plan (2018), two PGC projects from the National Plan (2019-2022; 2023-2027), and a Proof of Concept Project (2022). She currently supervises two postdoctoral contracts (a European Fellowship MSCA-EC-2023-PF-01 and a 3-year UCA Own Plan contract) and has supervised three doctoral theses. Her research team includes archaeologists responsible for interventions at Doña Blanca Castle, along with master's and doctoral students from UCA. She represents the University of Cadiz in the International Network of Universities of the Council of Europe's Cultural Itinerary 'Route of the Phoenicians.'