Zinko Michaela

Dr. Michaela Zinko is an Assistant Professor at the Institute for Antiquity, Faculty of Humanities, Karl-Franzens-University Graz. Since 2019, she has been assigned to the Institute for Antiquity, contributing to projects like the Hittite Dictionary Project (Munich), Sidetic language research, and Anatolian archaeology. She serves as Deputy Director of the Center for Antiquity since 2011.

• PhD in Comparative Linguistics / Indo-European Studies (1996)
• Diploma in German Studies / Comparative Linguistics (1992)

Her research focuses on Anatolian Languages and Indo-European Studies, particularly the Sidetic script and language. She explores connections between temple economies and cult inventories in Hittite contexts, and has contributed to understanding the military structure of the Hittites through comparative analysis with Mycenaean systems.

Key publication trends include Anatolian epigraphy, historical semantics, and interdisciplinary approaches to ancient economies. Recent work connects archaeological findings with linguistic analysis in Turkey.

Scientific honors include the Hugo Kleinmayr Prize (1993) for German Studies. She contributes to academic committees like the Saxon Academy of Sciences (since 2014) and German Oriental Society (since 1999).

As co-editor of Graz Comparative Studies (Volumes 21, 24, 28) and editorial collaborator, she supports publication networks. Her ongoing projects include Side East Gate and New Paths into Antiquity collaborations.