The Biblical Archaeological Institute Wuppertal (BAI) was established in 1999 by the

Protestant Church Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes justification of sinners through faith alone, the teaching that salvation comes by unmerited divine grace, the priesthood of all believers, and the Bible as the sole infallible sourc ...

of the

Rhineland The Rhineland ( ; ; ; ) is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly Middle Rhine, its middle section. It is the main industrial heartland of Germany because of its many factories, and it has historic ties to the Holy ...

. It constitutes an institute of the “Protestant University of Wuppertal” as well as an associated institute of the

University of Wuppertal The University of Wuppertal (''Universität Wuppertal'') is a German scientific institution located in Wuppertal in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The university's official name in German is ''Bergische Universität Wuppertal'' ...

and holds the right to award doctorates at both universities. The necessary

financial endowment A financial endowment is a legal structure for managing, and in many cases indefinitely perpetuating, a pool of Financial instrument, financial, real estate, or other investments for a specific purpose according to Donor intent, the will of its fo ...

is provided by the “Friends of the BAI” (e.V.).

Scientific aims

Since 1999 four main objectives of research are being pursued. These comprehend: * Excavation projects (especially in the Eastern Mediterranean) * The application of modern methods in Archaeology - i.e.

Geophysics Geophysics () is a subject of natural science concerned with the physical processes and Physical property, properties of Earth and its surrounding space environment, and the use of quantitative methods for their analysis. Geophysicists conduct i ...

( geoelectrics and

tomography Tomography is imaging by sections or sectioning that uses any kind of penetrating wave. The method is used in radiology, archaeology, biology, atmospheric science, geophysics, oceanography, plasma physics, materials science, cosmochemistry, ast ...

;

geomagnetics Earth's magnetic field, also known as the geomagnetic field, is the magnetic field that extends from Earth's interior out into space, where it interacts with the solar wind, a stream of charged particles emanating from the Sun. The magn ...

;

georadar Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) is a geophysical method that uses radar pulses to image the subsurface. It is a non-intrusive method of surveying the sub-surface to investigate underground utilities such as concrete, asphalt, metals, pipes, cables o ...

) and terrestrial research (

Photogrammetry Photogrammetry is the science and technology of obtaining reliable information about physical objects and the environment through the process of recording, measuring and interpreting photographic images and patterns of electromagnetic radiant ima ...

) *

Archaeometry Archaeological science consists of the application of scientific techniques to the analysis of archaeological materials and sites. It is related to methodologies of archaeology. Martinón-Torres and Killick distinguish ‘scientific archaeology ...

(chemical and mineralogical pottery analysis; experimental firing of pottery); the main interest is to write a history of pottery production in the investigation area; since 2008 also research work on ancient glass and faience industry *

Experimental archaeology Experimental archaeology (also called experiment archaeology) is a field of study which attempts to generate and test archaeological Hypothesis, hypotheses, usually by replicating or approximating the feasibility of ancient cultures performing v ...

(Production of pottery replicas in historically correct manufacturing methods)

Main archaeological projects

Different projects

The Biblical Archaeological Institute has conducted excavations and geophysical research in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

and the Hashemite Kingdom of

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

. *

Villa Hadriana Hadrian's Villa (; ) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site comprising the ruins and archaeological remains of a large villa complex built around AD 120 by Roman emperor Hadrian near Tivoli outside Rome. It is the most imposing and complex Roman vill ...

(Italy) 2002–2004 * Geophysical prospection in Olympia (Greece) 2001 * Esch-Schallaf (Jordan) 1998–1999 * Ba'ja I, close to

Petra Petra (; "Rock"), originally known to its inhabitants as Raqmu (Nabataean Aramaic, Nabataean: or , *''Raqēmō''), is an ancient city and archaeological site in southern Jordan. Famous for its rock-cut architecture and water conduit systems, P ...

(Jordan) 1999 * Sal (Jordan) 1999–2000

The Gadara Region Project and the Tall Zira'a

Since 2001 the institute's research focuses on the exploration of the Gadara region. The largest site in the area is the Tall Zira'a which comprises over 5000 years of settlement history. At this place in 2001 a survey was conducted. In 2003 started the first excavation of a long term project which is scheduled until 2020. Since 2004 the

German Protestant Institute of Archaeology The German Protestant Institute of Archaeology (GPIA), Research Unit of the German Archaeological Institute, founded in 1900, is a leading biblical archaeological institute in Jerusalem. Its German name is ' (DEI) which translates literally ...

Amman Amman ( , ; , ) is the capital and the largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of four million as of 2021, Amman is Jordan's primate city and is the largest city in the Levant ...

is a partner of the project. Since 2006 the corresponding institute in

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

participates likewise. The currently running excavation seasons are accomplished by a regional survey covering the greater Wadi al-'Arab area since 2009. On the Tall Zira'a settlements from over more than five millennia are being excavated. Furthermore, the agricultural potential as well as flora and fauna, geology, hydrology, trade relations (roads, infrastructure) and the strategic importance of the Wadi al-Arab are being explored. About 25 km² of the greater Wadi al-'Arab area (south of the ancient city of

Gadara Gadara ( or ; ), in some texts Gedaris, was an ancient Hellenistic city in what is now Jordan, for a long time member of the Decapolis city league, a former bishopric and present Latin Catholic titular see. Its ruins are today located at Umm ...

) were under research since 2009. In the area are more than 100 sites which date from prehistory to the Islamic period. With the help of archaeometrical methods the artefacts from the Tall Zira'a are being examined concerning their respective materials. Thereby, the research concentrates on

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other raw materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. The place where such wares are made by a ''potter'' is al ...

, glass and

faience Faience or faïence (; ) is the general English language term for fine tin-glazed pottery. The invention of a white Ceramic glaze, pottery glaze suitable for painted decoration, by the addition of an stannous oxide, oxide of tin to the Slip (c ...

to gain insight into the possible location of production sites and the technological knowledge. The research described above goes hand in hand with

experimental archaeology Experimental archaeology (also called experiment archaeology) is a field of study which attempts to generate and test archaeological Hypothesis, hypotheses, usually by replicating or approximating the feasibility of ancient cultures performing v ...

, applying old techniques e. g. of constructing a potters oven and firing the products. The geophysical prospection of the Tall Zira'a used geoelectrical mapping, two-dimensional tomography and three-dimensional tomographical techniques to * plan archaeological excavations in advance as exact as possible and devise appropriate methods of excavation, * acquire knowledge concerning unexcavated areas and * protect areas for future excavations.

Director

The first Director of the Biblical Archaeological Institute is

Dieter Vieweger Dieter Vieweger, a Biblical scholar and Prehistoric Archaeologist, was born in Chemnitz, East Germany in 1958. He studied Theology (Old Testament Studies) and Prehistoric Archaeology in Leipzig and Frankfurt am Main. After that he held a number ...

who was appointed in 1999. Since November 2005 he is also the Director of the

and

. He is professor at the Protestant University of Wuppertal as well as at the

Witten/Herdecke University Witten/Herdecke University is a private, state-recognized, nonprofit university in Witten, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was the first German private institution of higher education to receive accreditation as a "Universität", a status ...

Location University of Wuppertal (Bergische Universität Wuppertal)

On 13 July 2003 the move-in of the BAI in the facilities of the Bergische Universität, Campus Freudenberg was ceremonially solemnized. The stuff of the BAI is mainly concerned with the archaeological research of the finds from the Tall Zira´a. The BAI on the Campus Freudenberg of the Bergische Universität Wuppertal can easily be reached by car via A 1, A 46 and L 418. Public transport is being provided from Wuppertal central station by Bus "E". The institute is located on the 3rd floor of building FD.

External links

Homepage Biblical Archaeological Institute Wuppertal

Homepage of
Gadara Region Project and Tall Zira'a {{authority control Archaeology of Jordan Archaeology of Israel Archaeological research institutes in Germany Archaeology of the Near East Biblical archaeology University of Wuppertal Organizations established in 1999 1999 establishments in Germany