Ruth Blankenfeldt

Dr. Ruth Blankenfeldt is a Scientific Associate at the Centre for Baltic and Scandinavian Archaeology (ZBSA) in Schleswig, part of the Leibniz Centre for Archaeology. With a career spanning nearly two decades since completing her doctorate in 2009, she has established herself as a specialist in northern European archaeology, particularly focusing on wetland environments, sacrificial sites, and coastal landscapes.

Her research interests encompass settlement archaeology, landscape archaeology, wetland and underwater archaeology, sacrificial practices, the first millennium in Northern Europe, detector archaeology, and early Germanic art. Dr. Blankenfeldt's work often bridges traditional archaeological approaches with advanced geophysical prospection techniques, particularly in challenging environments like tidal flats and bogs.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong focus on North Frisian coastal archaeology, with significant contributions to understanding submerged medieval landscapes, particularly related to the legendary Rungholt settlement. Her work also demonstrates continued engagement with Iron Age studies, especially regarding the Thorsberg bog site. The interdisciplinary nature of her research combines archaeological, geological, and historical methodologies to reconstruct past cultural landscapes and human-environment interactions.

Dr. Blankenfeldt has been actively involved in numerous research projects since joining the Centre for Baltic and Scandinavian Archaeology in 2008, following earlier positions at the Archaeological State Museum Gottorf Castle (2005-2008) and the Schleswig State Archaeological Office (2005). Her fieldwork experience includes environmental impact assessments, sonar surveys, excavations of wetland sites, and investigations of shipwrecks in the North Sea region.

As a researcher with extensive publication record including monographs, edited volumes, and journal articles, Dr. Blankenfeldt contributes significantly to advancing methodological approaches in coastal and wetland archaeology. Her work on electromagnetic prospection techniques for tidal flat environments represents innovative methodological development in archaeological survey practices.