Stefanos Gimatzidis

Stefanos Gimatzidis is a Lecturer at the Institute for Classical Archaeology, University of Vienna (since 2015), and a Senior Researcher at the Austrian Academy of Sciences (OeAI) since 2017. He holds a Magister Artium from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (1997) and a Doctorate from the Free University of Berlin (2007). Previously, he served as Epimelites at Greece’s Ministry of Culture (2005–2011). His research focuses on Mediterranean archaeology during the Early Iron Age and Archaic periods, with special emphasis on colonization dynamics, burial practices, and socio-economic networks.

Key research projects include studies on death and burial practices between the Aegean and Balkans, early Greek colonization in Macedonia and Italy, and the distribution of Early Iron Age Greek pottery across the Mediterranean. He leads FWF-funded projects at the Austrian Academy of Sciences and collaborates on interdisciplinary initiatives combining archaeological and radiocarbon dating methods.

His work addresses broader themes such as colonialism, material culture exchange, and the reception of antiquity in modern narratives. Gimatzidis frequently publishes on Aegean ceramic analysis, radiometric chronology, and the socioeconomic ties reflected through pottery production and trade. His research bridges theoretical archaeology with empirical case studies, emphasizing transregional connectivity and cultural interaction.

Notable contributions include studies on Sidon’s Protogeometric and Geometric pottery, the colonization of Mende in the Northern Aegean, and the critique of archaeological economy. His interdisciplinary approach combines neutron activation analysis, radiocarbon dating, and traditional archaeological methods to reconstruct ancient Mediterranean networks and chronologies.