Birgit BühlerI am a senior post-doctoral researcher (part-time) at Vienna Institute for Archaeological Science (VIAS) and affiliated to the research network Human Evolution and Archaeological Sciences (HEAS). Furthermore, I am a lecturer at the University of Vienna, both at the Institute for Prehistory and Historic Archaeology (UHA), as well as at the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology (DEA).
Although I am an archaeologist by training, focusing on the Early Medieval Period, I have additional qualifications in both archaeometallurgy and biological anthropology. My first specialization is archaeometallurgy, focusing on the technology of gold-, silver- and copper-alloy metalwork: In the past three decades, I have studied precious metalwork from a wide range of different sites and periods, throughout Europe, from the Bronze Age to the Late Medieval Period, focusing on the comparative study of tool marks, as well as on wire production, filigree, and granulation.
My second specialization is the archaeology of the Avar period (late 6th-early 9th century A.D.), focusing on interdisciplinary funerary archaeology and permitting a synthesis of my diverse areas of expertise and research interests.
My research interests include: Human osteology, gender archaeology, social archaeology, material culture studies, the history of horse-human-relations (in particular: ancient horse-riding styles and mounted combat techniques) and experimental archaeology.