معرفی
Dr. Maximilian Wilding serves as an Assistant Professor at the Center of Prehistoric Archaeology of the Near East (PANE) within the Department of Archaeology and Museology, Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, Brno. His academic career spans over two decades with continuous fieldwork across the Near East, including ongoing leadership of the Sint Polje EP78 and Sint-Sant Plateau (SIPO) project in Oman since 2017, the OXA-KALARA Project in Crete since 2013, and prior direction of Czech excavations at Tell Arbid Abyad in Syria (2007-2010).
His educational foundation includes a Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Vienna (2003), where his dissertation analyzed Pacific navigation debates. This background informs his interdisciplinary approach to Near Eastern archaeology.
- Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology, University of Vienna, 2003
Wilding's research integrates environmental science with archaeological inquiry, focusing on how ancient societies managed volatile resources like wind and rain through archaeohydrology, taphonomy of clay structures, and traditional navigation systems. His work bridges ethnoarchaeology and public engagement, developing spin-offs for media, NGOs, and cross-cultural understanding while addressing contemporary issues like archaeology graduate employability and student entrepreneurship.
Analysis of his 2019-2023 publications reveals a concentrated focus on Oman's Al-Hajar Mountains and Syria's Khabur Valley, with recurring themes of karst landscape habitability during arid periods, lithic/pottery analysis from prehistoric sites, and methodological innovations in mountain archaeology. His output demonstrates strong interdisciplinary collaboration, particularly with Yale University and Freie Universität Berlin.
Wilding actively secures research funding as a co-investigator on major projects:
- Co-investigator, "Research on Khabur Basin archaeological material," Yale University (2015–present)
- Co-investigator, "Innovation of Archaeology and Museology Education," Masaryk University (2014–2017)
- Co-investigator, "Oxa-KALARA Project," Masaryk University (2013–present)
- Co-investigator, Interdisciplinary Centre for Prehistoric to High Medieval Social Structures (2005–2011)
He leads international field teams across three continents, directing the Oman-based SIPO project investigating Holocene lake depressions, the Crete-based OXA-KALARA Project, and previously the Syrian Tell Arbid Abyad excavations. His work emphasizes visual anthropology through documentary filming of ethnographic contexts and excavation processes.
