University of Colonge
ruske-tamara@web.de
I am currently employed at the University of Cologne (North Rhine-Westphalia) and about to finish my doctoral thesis with the title “ Die befestigte späteisenzeitliche Flachlandsiedlung von Kerpen-Manheim. Das Rheinland in der Späteisenzeit und der römischen Kaiserzeit“. The project encompasses the evaluation of a rural estate located in the hinterland of Cologne which was protected by a double ditch system and a palisade in the 3rd century AD, without any evidence of a military presence. This is noteworthy and allows us to address the question of whether the fortification of buildings belonging to rural estates in the 3rd century AD was a private initiative of the estate owners or whether it could have been a state initiative. Furthermore, I am interested in pottery studies and the process of improving dating approaches based on the range of wares as well as the analysis of cemeteries. The site is highly endangered due to modern open-cast lignite mining (Hambach open-cast mine) and will soon be completely destroyed. I was very fortunate to be able to conduct my own teaching excavation at Kerpen-Manheim HA 158 in 2024 as part of the research project.
Since this year, I have also been coordinating the project “Digitizing Roman Landscape,” initiated by U. X. Müller M.A. at the Department of Provincial Roman Archaeology at the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg in Germany. As part of the project, we are attempting to use QGIS to map the settlement landscape of the Freiburg administrative district (part of Germania Superior) during the Roman Imperial period. This is intended to give students experience of using QGIS and familiarize themselves with the Roman sites in their immediate vicinity.