Luminescense Laboratory

In the summer of 2007 the Heidelberg Luminescence Laboratory was relocated from the former Research Unit Archaeometry of the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences at the Max-Planck Department of Nuclear Sciences (head until June 2007: Prof. Dr. Günther A. Wagner) to the Institute of Geography of the Heidelberg University. The Heidelberg Laboratory conducts optical dating of sediments and stone surfaces as well as scientific and technological development of the optical stimulated luminescence technique.

The Heidelberg Luminescence Laboratory cooperates in projects which need to establish chronometries for past landscape changes induced by environmental changes or human impact. Archives to reconstruct the history of a landscape are usually aeolian, fluvial or colluvial deposits. Sedimentary archives are usually the most important key to the past in geomorphological and geoarchaeological projects (examples 2 - 7). Man-made stoneworks may also be analyzed (example 1). In any case the assumption is that the luminescence clock was reset to zero by daylight at the time of the dating event, similar to a stop-watch, and that it started clicking anew right afterwards due to the surrounding natural radioactivity and the subsequent exclusion of light or heat impact.

• Prof. Manfred Rösch (Institut für Ur- und Frühgeschichte, Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg) , Dr. Simone Mühl (Department of Near Eastern Archaeology, Ludwig Maximilians University, Munich) & Dr. Annette Kadereit (Heidelberger Lumineszenzlabor, Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg): Lake Ganau in the Rania Plain in Iraqi Kurdistan – a new limnic archive for palaeoenvironmental studies and the investigation of man-environment interaction (DFG funded project). Drilling campaign Lake Ganaw 22 Sep - 07 Oct 2015
• Prof. Wolfgang Stinnesbeck, Institut für Geowissenschaften, Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg: Underwater caves (Cenotes) on Yucatan (BMBF funded project)
• Dr. Simone Mühl, Department of Near Eastern Archaeology, Ludwig Maximilians University, Munich: The Shahrizor Survey Project (DFG funded project)
• Prof. Jürgen Wunderlich & Dirk Novacki , Physical Environment Research, Department of Physical Geography, J. W. Goethe-University: Holozäne Landschaftsentwicklung der Donauaue in der Umgebung des kupferzeitlichen Tells Pietrele, Rumänien / Alluvial archaeology, river Danube, Romania (DFG funded project)
• Prof. Josef Maran & Kristina Penezic, Institut für Ur- und Frühgeschichte, Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg and Prof. Heinrich Thiemeyer, Department of Physical Geography, J. W. Goethe-University: Palaeoenvironment and fluvial history of the river Danube between the Neolithic settlement sites Vinca and Starcevo, Serbia (DAAD financed stipendium of Kristina Penezic)

• Penezic , K., Kadereit, A., Thiemeyer, H. 2013. Palaeoenvironment and fluvial history of the river Danube between the Neolithic settlement sites Vinca and Starcevo, Serbia. Poster presentation, EGU General Assembly 2013, 7-12 April 2013, Vienna, Austria, id. EGU2013-12117.

• Prof. Olaf Bubenzer, Geographisches Institut, University of Cologne, Dr. Rudolph Kuper/Heinrich-Barth-Institut, University of Cologne & Dr. Heiko Riemer, Institute of Prehistoric Archaeology, African Archaeology, University of Cologne: Wadi Sura II – Cave of the Beasts (DFG financed project)