Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World

Regina Uhl

Visiting Scholar in Archaeology and the Ancient World (September-December 2024)

Biography

Regina Uhl is the AIA-DAI Visiting Scholar at the Joukowsky Institute from September 2024-December 2024. She is currently a Researcher and Specialist for Prehistory and Archaeological Cultural Heritage of the Black Sea Region at the Eurasia Department, at the German Archaeological Institute, Berlin. Uhl received her PhD in Prehistory from FU Berlin and Eurasia-Department and the German Archaeological Institute. Her doctoral thesis, Die Cucuteni-Trypillja-Kultur: Innovation und Wandel, examines the innovations in metallurgy and textile production during the 4th millennium BC in the northern Black Sea region, particularly in the Caucasus (Georgia) and the Republic of Moldova. 

Uhl's project while at Brown University, "Between Fear and Creativity: Social Complexity through a Prehistoric Lens," aims to investigate social complexity from a transcultural perspective. It examines the interaction and dynamics of complex societies and the emergence of political systems during the Iron Age in Eurasia. In addition to exploring the origins of these systems, the project also delves into the analysis of political system failures and the archaeological traces of such "historical gaps." With a specific focus on the development of complex political systems particularly within the context of early nomadic states, the project investigates the intricacies of social complexity within pastoral-structured societies. The project's focus lies on specific metal objects, technologies, and burial sites, providing a more comprehensive understanding of societal dynamics and technological advancements during the early first millennium. This unconventional approach offers insights into the interplay between fear and creativity within ancient societies, with a broad geographic scope covering Europe, the Mediterranean, West Asia, and parts of Eastern Europe and West Siberia, including the Black Sea coast and southern regions of the West Siberian Lowland. The study endeavors to contribute a comprehensive, transcultural understanding of socio-political systems in the Iron Age.