Thomas Gertzen

Dr. Thomas Gertzen serves as Research Coordinator at the Institute of Ancient Near Eastern Studies (Freie Universität Berlin), affiliated with the DFG Center for Advanced Studies 2615 "Rethinking Oriental Despotism." His work focuses on ancient Near Eastern civilizations, including Mesopotamian, Hittite, and Babylonian studies. Key research interests include cuneiform texts, archaeological methodologies, and the sociopolitical structures of ancient empires. He coordinates projects such as the excavations at Oymaağaç Höyük (Turkey) and studies on Hittite multilingualism and cultic centers.

• Education: Advanced academic background in Near Eastern Archaeology or related fields (not explicitly stated in text).

His research explores themes like ritual practices, scribal culture, and the transmission of knowledge in ancient societies. Current initiatives include analyzing Babylonian extispicy rituals and investigating the cultural identity of Greeks in Mesopotamia. He contributes to interdisciplinary projects such as the Einstein Center Chronoi and ZODIAC (Ancient Astral Science).

Thesis supervision: Coordinates research environments supporting graduate studies but specific advisees are not explicitly listed in the provided text. Active in mentoring through funded programs like the DFG Emmy Noether Junior Research Group.

Labs/Teams: Integral to collaborative networks including the DFG SFB 980 (Episteme in Motion) and the Hurritological Archive, focusing on textual and spatial analysis of ancient Near Eastern corpora.