Prof. Dr Thomas Stöllner
Research Interests
- Pre-Roman Metal Ages (Hallstatt and La Tène culture in Central Europe)
- Mining Archaeology (Europe, Eurasia, Near East)
- Natural Sciences in Archaeology
- Cult and ritual in prehistoric cultures
Curriculum Vitae
- Leading excavations in Dürrnberg, Mitterberg (Austria), Askaraly (Kazakhstan), Chehrabad, Veshnaveh (Iran), Lahntal-Atzbach und im Siegerland (Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia), Sakdrissi (Georgia)
- 04.2018 Speaker of DFG SPP 2176 "The Iranian Highlands: Resilience and Integration of Premodern Societies"
- 03.-04.2018 Honorary Visiting Scholar of Flinders University of South Australia
- 2017 Listed aequo loco 1st place for W3-professorship/RGZM General directorship at Mainz
- 2016 Scientific board of the foundation “Archaeology at the Rhenian coal district”
- 2016 Organisation of International conference “ON SALT, COPPER AND GOLD: THE ORIGINS OF EARLY MINING IN THE CAUCASUS” and exhibition “The Gold of Sakdrisi – Man’s first gold mining enterprise” (together with Georgian National Museum Tblissi, Prof. Lordkipanidze, Dr. Gamabschidze) and the Maison d'Orient des CNRS Lyon (Dr. C. Marro)
- Since 2014 Head of the Research Department at the Deutsches Bergbau-Museum, Bochum
- 2011 Elected for the chair „Prehistory of Mankind“ at the University of Vienna
- Since 2010 Member of the advisory committee of the Austrian research centre Dürrnberg and (since 2013) of the Keltenmuseum (Celtic Museum) Hallein (Research of Dürrnberg)
- Since 2009 Member of the advisory committee of the centre for Baltic and Scandinavian Archaeology in Schleswigg ZBSA
- 2007 Deputizing the chair of Prehistoric Archaeology at University of Zürich
- Since 2006 Chair of Prehistoric Archaeology at the Ruhr-University of Bochum
- Since 2004 Member of the committee for general and comparative archaeology of the DAI (German Archaeological Institute).
- Since 2004 Regular member of the German Archaeological Institute, Berlin.
- 2003 Habilitation in Prehistoric Archaeology at the Philipps-University Marburg, Department of History and Cultural studies. „Studies on prehistoric salt business in Central Europe“
- 2003-04 Curator and organiser of the international exhibition in collaboration with the Islamic Republic of Iran „Persiens Antike Pracht – Bergbau – Handwerk – Archäologie“ (Persias ancient glory – Mining – Craft - Archaeology) at the Deutsches Bergbau-Museum
- 2000 Visiting Research Fellow an der Flinders-University of South Australia, Adelaide
- Since 2000 Head of the Department of Mining Archeology at the German Mining Museum in Bochum
- 1998 Organisation of the conference „Dürrnberg und Manching – Siedlungs- und Wirtschaftsarchäologie im ostkeltischen Raum“ (Settlement and economic archaeology in the Eastern Celtic region) (together with C. Dobiat und S. Sievers)
- 1997 Research award for scientific work in the Province of Salzburg.
- 1995-2000 Research Associate at the Prehistoric Seminar of the University of Marburg; DFG project: "Siedlungs- und Wirtschaftsgeschichte des eisenzeitlichen Dürrnberges bei Hallein" (Settlement and economic history of the Iron Age Dürrnberg near Hallein).
- 1990 – 1995 Doctorate in Marburg (Prof. Dr. O.-H. Frey) with the dissertation "Die Hallstatt- und der Beginn der Latènezeit im Inn-Salzach-Raum" (“The Hallstatt and the Early La Tène Period in the Inn-Salzach area”).
- 1995 Research stay in Budapest, excavation in Wiesbaden
- Since 1990 Head of the mining-archaeological excavations at the Dürrnberg near Hallein.
- 1986-1995 Studies at the universities of Salzburg, Marburg, Regensburg and Vienna: Studies of Prehistoric Archaeology, Anthropology, Christian Archaeology and Geology.
- 1984-90 Project in collaboration with the Österreichischen Forschungszentrums Dürrnberg (Austrian Research Centre in Dürrnberg); Excavations on Hallstatt and various sites in Europe.
Research Projects
- Leibniz-Graduate school: Raw materials, Innovations, Technology of ancient Cultures (RITaK) (2011-2015) and the Leibniz-Postgraduate-school “Resources in Societies” (ReSoc) (since 2016)
- SPP 2176 "The Iranian Highlands: Resilience and Integration of Premodern Societies"
- Prehistoric Salt Mining on the Dürrnberg/Hallein, Austria
- The Salt Men of Zanjan
- The Western Slovak Ore Mountains - Strategies for the Use of a Secondary Economic Area during the Bronze Age
- The Region of Mitterberg: Large-Scale Production of Copper in the Eastern Alps during the Bronze Age
- Salt, Copper, Gold: Early Mining in the Caucasus
- Copper and Tin from the Central Asian Steppe
- Early iron in the Eastern Rhenish Slate Mountains: Siegerland

Institute of Archaeological Studies
Ruhr-Universität Bochum
Am Bergbaumuseum 31
D-44791 Bochum
Office Hours: Wed. 12-14 Uhr & by appointment
Phone: (0234) 32-22546
thomas.stoellner@rub.de o. thomas.stoellner@bergbaumuseum.de
Publications Prof. Dr.Thomas Stöllner