Patrick Zeidler

Patrick Zeidler is a Research Associate in Classical Archaeology at the University of Bonn and currently affiliated with the Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum (CVA) project at the Bavarian Academy of Sciences in Munich. He is based at the Institute of Archaeology and Cultural Anthropology, Department of Classical Archaeology, where he has been actively involved in research on Etruscan ceramics and the iconography of social dependency. He has been a key contributor to the Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies (BCDSS), focusing on slavery and inequality in antiquity.

Education:

• Master's in Classical Archaeology, University of Bonn and Sapienza University of Rome (Erasmus), 2016–2019
• Bachelor's in Archaeology, LMU Munich and University of Vienna (Erasmus), 2013–2016

His research interests include Etruscan, Italic, and Greek ceramics, cultural appropriation in the ancient Mediterranean, and the visual representation of slaves and marginalized groups. He employs an interdisciplinary approach, combining archaeological evidence with social theory to analyze power structures in pre-Roman Italy and beyond. His work often bridges material culture with broader historical narratives of dependency and inequality.

The most recent publications reflect a strong trend in analyzing visual representations of slavery, captives, and dependency across Mediterranean cultures. His articles frequently appear in interdisciplinary volumes on dependency, often co-edited with Martin Bentz and others. He explores themes such as the ambivalent symbolism of enslaved figures, the role of textiles and wine in labor systems, and cross-cultural depictions of 'otherness' in pre-modern art.

Scientific Contributions:

• Co-editor of multiple volumes on dependency and slavery
• Contributor to exhibition catalogues on Etruscan art and divine punishment
• Editor of Cologne and Bonn Archaeologica (KuBA)
• Organizer of international conferences on pre-Roman Italy and dependency in visual art

Zeidler has played a significant role in advising and curating academic exhibitions such as Resources of Power and Entangled and Interwoven, contributing to public outreach and interdisciplinary collaboration. He has not received individual scientific awards mentioned in the text, but his editorial and organizational roles indicate strong recognition within the academic community. His research is supported through institutional affiliations rather than individual grants, and he collaborates closely with teams at BCDSS and the CVA project.

He is actively involved in the BCDSS research team and contributes to digital and physical exhibitions, particularly those exploring textures of dependency and global perspectives on slavery. His ongoing work with the CVA project involves cataloging Etruscan pottery in the Academic Art Museum of Bonn, continuing a long tradition of German archaeological scholarship.