Maayan Lev

Dr. Maayan Lev is a Research Fellow at Kiel University's Institute for Prehistory and Protohistory. Specializing in zooarchaeology and paleoclimatology, she investigates how environmental and climatic changes influenced the transition from hunting-gathering to agriculture in the southern Levant. Her work combines herpetofauna analysis, leaf wax n-alkane studies, and isotopic analysis of archaeological remains.

Research Focus

• Late Epi-Paleolithic and Neolithic period environmental transitions
• Microvertebrate taphonomy and microhabitat studies
• Isotopic analysis of reptile/amphibian bones and plant waxes
• Human adaptation to Pleistocene-Holocene climate shifts

Scientific Awards

• KiTE Fellowship for early-career researchers

Prior to Kiel, she conducted neotaphonomic research at the University of Haifa's paleoecology lab. Her methodology integrates zooarchaeological, ecological, and isotopic approaches to reconstruct ancient ecosystems and human behavioral patterns.