Barbara Horejs

Prof. Barbara Horejs holds dual roles as Deputy Executive Director of the Austrian Archaeological Institute (ÖAI) and Scientific Director of the Department of Prehistory & WANA-Archaeology at the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW). She leads research initiatives such as the 'Prehistoric Anatolia' and 'Madra River Delta' projects, focusing on Neolithic to Bronze Age archaeology across Southeast Europe and West Asia. Her work integrates fieldwork in Turkey, Greece, Iran, UAE, and the Balkans with cutting-edge scientific methods.

Education: Studied Prehistory/Protohistory and Classical Archaeology at Universities of Vienna, Athens, and Berlin. Awarded summa cum laude from Freie Universität Berlin (2005). Holds honorary professorships at Universities of Tübingen (2015) and Vienna (2022). Served as Director of OREA (2013-2020) and Board Chair of ÖAW (2019-2021).

Research Interests: Neolithisation processes, geoarchaeological surveys, material culture analysis, and interdisciplinary studies on ancient technologies. Excavates sites like Çukuriçi Höyük (Turkey), Svinjarička Čuka (Serbia), and Madra Delta (Turkey). Specializes in tracing long-distance networks through archaeological and genetic analyses.

Publications highlight innovations in chert procurement, Bronze Age metallurgy, and gold trade networks. Recent work explores seasonal practices, early agricultural economies, and cross-regional connectivity in the 3rd millennium BC. Her ERC-funded projects bridge European and Anatolian archaeological datasets.

• Awards: FWF START Prize (2010), ERC Starting Grant (2011)
• Memberships: German Archaeological Institute (full member since 2020), Austrian Academy of Sciences (corresponding member since 2015)

Advises international teams on field methodologies and heritage preservation, including the Puzzle in 4D digital reconstruction project at Tell el-Dabʿa (Egypt). Coordinates the Pusta Reka River investigations and the NEOSOL sediment analysis initiative.