Sophie Preiswerk

Sophie Preiswerk is a Researcher and doctoral student at the Institute of Archaeology, Department of Classical Archaeology, within the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Zurich. She has held this position since September 2023, conducting dissertation research titled "The Meaning of Making. The Craftsman and His Artifact in 6th and 5th Century BC Greece" under primary supervision by Prof. Dr. Corinna Reinhardt and co-supervision by Prof. Dr. Nikolaus Dietrich from Heidelberg University.

Her academic credentials include a Master's degree in Classical Archaeology from Heidelberg University (2019-2023), where she served as a tutor and completed her thesis "Inscribed Bodies, Legible Artifacts: Writing on Anthropomorphic Sculpture of the Greek Archaic Period" under Prof. Dr. Nikolaus Dietrich and Prof. Dr. Caterina Maderna. She earned her Bachelor's degree in History and Classical Archaeology from the same institution (2016-2019), featuring an ERASMUS semester at Sorbonne University (2018) and a thesis analyzing Napoleonic medal iconography. Additional training includes a Visiting Graduate Student placement at Yale University's Classics Department (2022-2023) under Prof. Dr. Milette Gaifman.

Preiswerk's research centers on materiality and craftsmanship in Greek Archaic artifacts, examining how the production process imbues objects with cultural meaning. Her doctoral project challenges traditional art-historical views by treating artifacts as tangible records of maker-material negotiation, utilizing social anthropological frameworks and the concept of 'technological choices' to reinterpret Archaic Greek objects. She actively investigates visual culture, numismatic reception, and the philosophical dimensions of making, with particular focus on 6th-5th century BCE Greece.

Her publication record reveals strong interdisciplinary integration across classical archaeology, numismatics, and material culture studies. Recent works consistently bridge technical artifact analysis with broader historical narratives, exemplified by studies on Archaic bronze statuettes' aesthetics and Napoleonic medal iconography as vehicles for classical reception. This approach demonstrates growing scholarly emphasis on process-oriented interpretations of ancient objects.

Key scientific recognition includes:

• DAAD Isap scholarship (2022-2023) supporting her Yale University research residency
• Baden-Württemberg Exchange Program fellowship (2022-2023) for graduate studies at Yale

Preiswerk maintains robust science communication engagement through lectures at Heidelberg University's Academic Lunch Break and Archaeology Slam events, contributions to the German Archaeological Institute's blog and Landesmuseum Württemberg's digital platforms, and development of educational content for the NumiScience eLearning initiative. She will teach a seminar on Greek archaeological source studies at the University of Zurich starting September 2025.

Collaborative engagements include the NumiScience platform with the Numismatic Association of Baden-Württemberg and participation in the "Faces of Power" workshop organized by the Royal Netherlands Institute Rome and German Archaeological Institute, focusing on coinage as historical evidence across Roman and Early Modern periods.