Dr Friederike Jürcke

Biography

I am a research associate in geospatial analysis and remote sensing with the Mapping Africa’s Endangered Archaeological Sites and Monuments (MAEASaM) project.

I studied for a BA and MA in Archaeology of West Asia at Free University Berlin and spent an exchange year at the University of Tehran. After that I studied for an MA in landscape archaeology at Durham University.

In 2024, I completed my PhD at the University of Cambridge in researching prehistoric movement in south-east Iran. I linked archaeological data, remote sensing and geospatial modelling with archival narratives to connect large-scale spatial patterns with the lived realities of travelling preserved in historical accounts.

Alongside my computational work I have worked on excavations and surveys across West, Central and South Asia, most recently at early urban centre of Kantarodai in Sri Lanka and the Early Iron Age site of Kimirek Kum 1 in Uzbekistan.

Research

I specialise in landscape archaeology and long-term human–environment interactions in arid regions. My research combines archaeological and historical data with spatial analysis, remote sensing, and computational modelling to explore mobility, water management, and urban development in West Asia. I am particularly interested in how people interacted and dealt with changing environments in the past.

My PhD focused on modelling overland corridors of movement across the arid, mountainous landscapes of the Iranian Plateau. I combined computational modelling with archival narratives to connect large-scale spatial patterns with the lived realities preserved in historical accounts, creating a richer, nuanced understanding of the archaeological landscapes.

As part of the MAEASaM team, I am developing a framework for heritage monitoring through remote sensing.

Key Publications

Key publications

Journal special issues

Montes-Landa, J., Jürcke, F., Cecarelli, A. (Eds.), 2021. Knowledge-scapes. Archaeological Review from Cambridge Vol. 35.2.

Journal articles

Jürcke, F., submitted. A European Nomad in South-East Iran – on practicalities and decision making in non-motorised long-distance travel.

Petrie, C.A., Jürcke, F., Wilkinson, T.C and Orengo, H.A. accepted. Over the hills and far away: modelling mobility and connectivity across the Iranian Plateau in late prehistory. Journal of Archaeological Research.

Hubbard, E., Jürcke, F., Rouse, L.M. submitted. The Devil’s in the Details: Comparative Case Studies in the Application of Micro-Topographic Modeling in southern Central Asian Alluvial Fans. Archaeological Prospection

Jürcke, F., Mutin, B., Garazhian, O., Petrie, C.A., forthcoming. The development of water management in prehistoric south-eastern Iran: new evidence from remote sensing in Darestan, Bam. In: Mutin, B., Jürcke, F., Eskandari, N. (eds.) The Archaeology of the South-Eastern Iranian Plateau. Essays in Honor of C.C. Lamberg-Karlovsky for his 85th Birthday. ARATTA 3.

Jürcke, F., Montes-Landa, J., & Ceccarelli, A. (2021). Knowledge-scapes' in Archaeology: An Introduction. Archaeological Review from Cambridge, 35 (2), 1-24. https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.71846

Jürcke, F., & Farjami, M. 2018. Works in Rivi D: trench G-12. p.95-99. In: Jafari, J., & Thomalsky, J. 2018. The Iranian-German Tappe Rivi Project (TRP), North-Khorasan: Report on the 2016 and 2017 fieldworks. Archäologische Mitteilungen aus Iran und Turan: p.77-120.

Job Titles

Research Associate, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research

General Info

Not available for consultancy

Research Expertise / Fields of study

Computational and Quantitative Archaeology

Cultural Heritage

Contact Details

fkj22[a]cam.ac.uk

McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research

Downing Street

Cambridge

CB2 3ER

ORCID

Affiliations

Subjects

Archaeology

Themes

Environment, Landscapes and Settlement

Heritage

Geographical areas

Africa

Mesopotamia and the Near East

Periods of interest

Copper/Bronze Age

Other Historical

Biography

Research

Key Publications

Job Titles

General Info

Contact Details

Affiliations

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