Andrea Ricci

Dr. Andrea Ricci serves as Scientific Coordinator for the ROOTS Cluster of Excellence at Kiel University's Institute of Pre- and Protohistory. With a PhD in Pre- and Protohistory from Kiel University (2013), she has established herself as a leading researcher in landscape archaeology with a focus on Southwestern Asia and the Caucasus region.

Education:

• PhD in Pre- and Protohistory, Kiel University, Germany (2013)
• MA Archaeology, Durham University, UK (2009)
• MA Pre- and Protohistory of the Near East, University of Rome La Sapienza, Italy (2007)

Ricci's research integrates digital humanities with traditional archaeological approaches to study human-environment dynamics across millennia. She specializes in applying remote sensing data, GIS-based analyses, and intensive field survey to investigate landscape transformations, Neolithization processes, and the emergence of social complexity. Her work spans the Zagros Mountains of Iran, the southern Caucasus, and Northern Mesopotamia, with particular emphasis on long-term socio-cultural-environmental interactions.

Her recent publications demonstrate a consistent focus on interdisciplinary approaches, with particular emphasis on kurgan studies in the Caucasus, mountain archaeology in the Zagros, and human adaptation to environmental changes. The research shows increasing integration of digital methodologies with traditional archaeological fieldwork, reflecting broader trends in contemporary archaeological science.

Ricci leads significant research projects including HighStepLands (Holocene socio-cultural-environmental interactions in the Zagros Mountains) and the Burial Mounds in the Southern Caucasus project. She collaborates extensively with international partners across Europe and the Middle East, demonstrating the global nature of contemporary archaeological research.