Henny Piezonka

Henny Piezonka is a Professor of Prehistoric Archaeology at the Freie Universität Berlin, holding the W3 chair since May 2023. She is also a Principal Investigator in the Collaborative Research Centre 1266 “TransformationsDimensionen” at Kiel University and leads multiple externally funded research projects, including fieldwork in Mongolia, India, and Siberia. Her academic career has included roles at the Universities of Bonn, Greifswald, and Kiel, as well as the German Archaeological Institute.

She studied Prehistoric and Protohistoric Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, and Art History in Berlin and Glasgow, earning her Magister Artium in 2003 and Dr. phil. in 2010, both with distinction. Her doctoral dissertation on early ceramics in Northeast Europe received the Dr.-Walther-Liebehenz-Preis.

Research Focus: Her work centers on hunter-gatherer and pastoral societies from the Late Glacial to the present, with a regional emphasis on the Eurasian forest zone and Arctic. She investigates neolithisation processes, mobility and sedentism, and socio-economic transformations using archaeological and ethnoarchaeological methods. She integrates biomolecular techniques (e.g., stable isotopes, radiocarbon dating) and collaborates across disciplines including anthropology, linguistics, and environmental science.

Scientific Awards:

• Dr.-Walther-Liebehenz-Preis (2012)
• Rudolf-Virchow-Förderpreis (2004)
• Humboldt-Preis der HU Berlin (2003)

Research Projects & Leadership:

• Principal Investigator, SFB 1266 “TransformationsDimensionen” (Kiel)
• Co-Speaker, ROOTS Sub-Cluster “Social Inequality”
• Project Lead, “Lost Cities” (Gerda Henkel Stiftung, Mongolia)
• Associated Researcher, ERC Project INDUCE (NE Europe)

Teaching & Supervision: At FU Berlin, she teaches modules on Mesolithic and Neolithic landscapes, archaeological theory, ethnoarchaeology, and excavation methods. She has supervised numerous MA and PhD projects and leads field schools in Germany, Russia, and Mongolia.

Labs & Teams: She collaborates with the Archaeozoological Laboratory and Field & Finds Lab at FU Berlin, and maintains active partnerships with research groups in Russia, Mongolia, and across Europe. Her work is supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG), Gerda Henkel Stiftung, and European Research Council (ERC).