معرفی
Dr. Ivana Puljiz is a Junior Professor (Tenure-Track) for Near Eastern Archaeology at the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg, where she has been serving since May 2021. Prior to this position, she worked as a Research Associate at Goethe University Frankfurt (2019-2021) and held various research positions at Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, including with the Qaṭna Project and the Collaborative Research Center 1070 "ResourceCultures." She is actively involved in multiple archaeological field projects in Iraq, serving as director of excavations at key sites including Kiš, Kemune, and Muqable.
Dr. Puljiz earned her Doctorate in Near Eastern Archaeology summa cum laude from Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen in 2017, with a dissertation titled "Gold of Kings and Gods. On the Significance of Gold Objects for the Syrian-North Levantine Kingdoms of the Middle and Late Bronze Age." She completed her Master of Arts in Near Eastern Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Philology at the same institution in 2013 with a grade of 1.1, following undergraduate studies in the same fields from 2008 to 2013.
Dr. Puljiz's research focuses on several key areas of Ancient Near Eastern archaeology. Her work centers on urban chronology and topography, particularly of Kiš, and she has made significant contributions to the understanding of rural settlement forms in Mesopotamia. She is an expert in glyptics, with specialization in Early Bronze Age seals from northern Mesopotamia and Middle Assyrian seals from Bassetki. Her research on pottery chronology, especially of the Mittani period, has provided new insights into regional cultural sequences. Dr. Puljiz is particularly renowned for her work on gold objects and jewelry from the Middle and Late Bronze Age, with her doctoral dissertation and subsequent monograph establishing her as a leading authority in this specialized field.
Her publication record demonstrates a clear trajectory of research focused on material culture analysis, particularly of luxury items and administrative artifacts from Bronze Age Mesopotamia. Her work combines detailed object analysis with broader cultural and chronological questions, often bridging the gap between artifact studies and regional historical narratives. Recent publications show an increasing focus on rural settlements and their relationship to urban centers during the Middle Assyrian period.
Dr. Puljiz leads several significant research projects, including the DFG-funded project "Rural settlement forms of Northern Mesopotamia in the 2nd millennium BC" (2019-2024), and serves as director of multiple excavation projects in Iraqi Kurdistan. Her fieldwork at Kemune revealed evidence of a Mittani-period city, potentially the ancient Zahiku, while her work at Muqable has uncovered important evidence of Middle Assyrian rural settlements. She successfully completed an interim evaluation of her junior professorship in January 2025, indicating strong progress in her academic career.
Dr. Puljiz's laboratory and field work is conducted through collaborative international teams, working closely with Kurdish archaeologists and institutions including the Directorate of Antiquities at Dohuk. Her research at sites like Kemune and Muqable involves multidisciplinary teams examining architecture, pottery sequences, seal impressions, and administrative texts to reconstruct the political and social landscape of Bronze Age Mesopotamia.
