personal data
Jens Notroff
Born 1980 in Aschersleben, Germany.
Nationality: German.
academic education
March 2009:
Graduated as Magister Artium (M.A.), Thesis: “Untersuchungen zur Beigabe von Miniaturschwertern in spätbronzezeitlichen Bestattungen des Nordischen Kreises” (Studies of miniature swords in Late Bronze Age burials of the Nordic Circle).
2001 – 2009:
Read Prehistoric Archaeology, Medieval History, and Journalism / Communication Science at Freie Universität Berlin.
2000 – 2001:
Read Classical Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, and Ancient History at Freie Universität Berlin.
employments
since November 2021:
Freelance lecturer for science communication at the National Institute for Science Communication (Nationales Institut für Wissenschaftskommunikation, NaWik).
since May 2020:
Desk Officer for International Exchange and Science Communication at the German Archaeological Institute’s (Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, DAI) Head Office.
since January 2020:
Freelance Illustrator, science and research visualisation.
May 2010 – April 2020:
Research Associate at the German Archaeological Institute (DAI), project: “The Prehistoric Societies of Upper Mesopotamia and Their Subsistence”, funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG)).
January / February 2010:
Freelance Contributor at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, scientific research in preparation of a third-party funded project (“Cult buildings in funeral context”).
December 2009 – April 2010:
Research Associate at the German Archaeological Institute (DAI), project: “ASEYM – Archaeological Survey and Excavation in the Yitim and Magass Area”, funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG)).
June 2006 – April 2009:
Student Assistant at the German Archaeological Institute (DAI), projects: “The Prehistoric Societies of Upper Mesopotamia and Their Subsistence” and “ASEYM – Archaeological Survey and Excavation in the Yitim and Magass Area”, funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG)).
2004 – 2012:
Freelance Contributor at Berlin State Museums Visitor Services (support and guidance for visiting groups: Museum of Pre- and Early History as well as several archaeological special exhibitions; special focus on education of schoolchildren and young adults).
awards & honours
June 2013:
Antiquity Prize (Best article published in “Antiquity” 2012) for the co-authored paper (with Oliver Dietrich, Manfred Heun, Klaus Schmidt and Martin Zarnkow): The role of cult and feasting in the emergence of Neolithic communities: new evidence from Göbekli Tepe, south-eastern Turkey, Antiquity 86, 2012, 674-695.
memberships
International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS)
European Association of Archaeologists (EAA)
Deutscher Archäologenverband e.V. (dArV)
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ur- und Frühgeschichte e.V. (DGUF)
Gesellschaft für bedrohte Völker (GfbV) / Society for Threatened Peoples International (STPI)
Global Human Ecodynamics Alliance (GHEA)
Berliner Unterwelten e.V. – Society for Exploration and Documentation of Subterranean Architecture
field research
2012 – 2019:
Staff member (assistant to head of excavations) in the German Archaeological Institute’s (DAI) excavations at the Early Neolithic site of Göbekli Tepe near Şanlıurfa, Turkey (Project: “The Prehistoric Societies of Upper Mesopotamia and Their Subsistence”, funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG)).
2017:
Staff member of the “Jawa Hinterland Expedition”, survey and excavation of several possible Chalcolithic / Early Bronze Age fortified settlement sites in the eastern Badia, Jordan (Project: “The colonization of the northern Badia (North-eastern Jordan) in the Late Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age (4th -3rd mill. BC). A contribution to archaeological settlement geography in arid regions of Southwest Asia“, funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG)).
2010:
Staff member (supervisor) in an excavation project of the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, excavations at a Late Bronze Age funeral cult building near Lăpuş, Romania (Project: “Ein funeraler Kultbau der späten Bronzezeit aus Lăpuş, Nordwestrumänien, und sein kultureller Kontext”, funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG)).
2008 & 2010:
Staff member (supervisor) in the German Archaeological Institute’s (DAI) excavations at the Chalcolithic settlement site of Tall Hujayrāt al-Ghuzlān near Aqaba, Jordan (Project: “Archaeological Survey and Excavation in the Yutum and Magass Area”, funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG)).
2007 – 2011:
Staff member (supervisor) in the German Archaeological Institute’s (DAI) excavations at the Early Neolithic site of Göbekli Tepe near Şanlıurfa, Turkey (Project: “The Prehistoric Societies of Upper Mesopotamia and Their Subsistence”, funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG)).
2006:
Staff member in an excavation project of the Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, excavations at an Late Hallstatt / Early Latène Period hill fort (Project: “Der Ipf bei Bopfingen, Ostalbkreis (Baden-Württemberg). Burg, Außensiedlung und Siedlungsumfeld eines frühkeltischen Fürstensitzes der späten Hallstatt- und frühen Latènezeit” funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG)).
2005:
Staff member (supervisor) in an excavation project of the State Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments Baden-Wuerttemberg, excavations at an Late Hallstatt / Early Latène Period hill for (Project: “Der Ipf bei Bopfingen, Ostalbkreis (Baden-Württemberg). Burg, Außensiedlung und Siedlungsumfeld eines frühkeltischen Fürstensitzes der späten Hallstatt- und frühen Latènezeit”, funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG)).
2004:
Staff member in a Polish-German cooperation project by the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, excavation of two Early Iron Age sites (Starosiedle and Kozów / Witaszkowo (Vettersfelde)).
2001 – 2003:
Freelance archaeologist at Gesellschaft für Archäologische Denkmalpflege (GAD), Preparatory and attendant construction measures (archaeological excavation, documentation, surveying, and conservation) in Berlin and Brandenburg.
internships
2001:
Museum of Pre- and Early History Berlin, introduction to practical museum work.
2001:
Training excavation of the Free University Berlin, excavation of a Late Bronze Age / Early Iron Age settlement near Seelow, Germany.
foreign languages
English (fluent)
Russian (good)
Turkish (moderate)
Danish (moderate)
Arabic (basic)
Latin (Latinum)
additional skills & qualifications
computer literacy:
Text and graphic editing, database management (MS Office applications, Adobe applications, CorelDraw Graphics Suite, etc.), picture archiving (Fotostation, Adobe Lightroom), OxCal – Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, QGIS Geographic Information System, Agisoft Photoscan, Meshroom/Meshlab, wordpress, web-based social media.
honorary posts & elected memberships:
Board member of Deutscher Archäologen-Verband (DArV) e.V. (2023-2027)
Representative for severely disabled employees of the DAI (2025-2026)
Student member of the “History and Cultural Studies” faculty council at Freie Universität Berlin (November 2004 – January 2007).
driving license:
BE, C1E, CE, MSL
international diving license:
PADI Advanced Open Water Diver, CMAS *
“Protection of cultural heritage and illegal transfer of cultural assets in national and international context”, International Summer School Heidelberg Center for Cultural Heritage, 2015.
“Destruction and Reconstruction of Cultural Heritage”, International Summer School Heidelberg Center for Cultural Heritage, 2016.
“Safety and Security in International Humanitarian Operations”, training course Akademie für Krisenmanagement, Notfallplanung und Zivilschutz, 2016.
“QGIS: Introduction and basics of geographic information systems”, training course Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, 2018.
“Unmanned aerial vehicles, structure from motion and image-based 3D reconstructions”, training course Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, 2019.
“Medienrecht”, entertainment / media law webinar DLA Piper, 2021.
“Journalistisches Schreiben für Webseiten, Pressemitteilungen und Newsletter”, journalistic training seminar Bundesakademie für öffentliche Verwaltung, 2022.
jens notroff 