Eberhard Zangger

Eberhard Zangger (born 1958 in Kamen, West Germany) is a German-Swiss geologist, archaeologist, and anthropologist known for integrating natural and social science methodologies to investigate protohistoric cultures of the Eastern Mediterranean. He is the founder and president of Luwian Studies, an international non-profit foundation established in 2014 to promote research into the Bronze Age cultures of Western Anatolia.

Early life and education

From 1974 to 1976, Eberhard Zangger began his career with two years of training as a technical assistant at the Senckenberg Natural History Museum in Frankfurt am Main, followed by another two years as a geological preparator at the Preparator School in Bochum (1976–1978). He then spent two years at the German Mining Museum in Bochum, contributing to research on the effects of air pollution on art and cultural monuments.

Zangger studied geology and paleontology at Kiel University and was awarded a National, Overseas, and Doctoral Scholarship from the German Academic Scholarship Foundation. In 1988, He completed his doctorate at Stanford University with a dissertation titled “Landscape Evolution of the Argive Plain (Greece): Paleoecology, Holocene Depositional History, and Coastal Change.”

Following his Ph.D., from 1988 to 1991, Zangger worked as a Senior Research Associate on the Joint Global Ocean Flux Study at the Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, focusing on global environmental change. Later, from 2020 to 2024, he pursued further studies at Harvard University, earning a Master of Liberal Arts (ALM) in Extension Studies, field of Anthropology and Archaeology.

Geoarchaeology

Eberhard Zangger’s research focuses on the dynamic interactions between human culture and its natural environment. Since 1982, he was actively involved in the field of geoarchaeology, contributing to numerous discoveries and research projects, including:

* The reconstruction of the prehistoric coastline of Dimini in Neolithic Central Greece.
* The extension of the Lerna, Lernaean Lake in the Argive Plain.
* The dating and function of a Mycenaean Greece, Mycenaean river diversions at Tiryns.
* The expansion of the lower city of Tiryns and the insular character of Asine.
* The artificial harbor at the Palace of Nestor in Pylos, featuring an innovative clean-water flushing mechanism.
* The construction of a human made dam and reservoir at Monastiraki, Crete, Minoan Monastiraki in central Crete.

Zangger’s research has demonstrated that nearly all Mycenaean citadels feature advanced hydraulic infrastructure, such as dams, reservoirs, river diversions, and artificial harbors. Contrary to prevailing theories, Zangger argues that natural disasters are often overemphasized as catalysts for cultural upheaval. For instance, he has provided evidence that the Minoan eruption, 17th-century BC eruption of the Santorini, Santorini volcano did not cause a caldera collapse and, consequently, could not have triggered a tsunami.

Zangger advocates for greater integration of natural sciences into archaeological research and emphasizes the importance of studying urban planning and hydraulic engineering to deepen our understanding of ancient societies.

The Luwian Culture

Eberhard Zangger’s research focuses on explaining the Late Bronze Age collapse, collapse of civilizations in the eastern Mediterranean around 1200 BC, attributing it to the influence of small states in western Anatolia, such as Arzawa, Mira (kingdom), Mira, Wilusa, Lukka lands, Lukka, and the Seha River Land, referenced in Hittite language, Hittite sources. He coined the term “Luwians, Luwian culture” to describe this region, situated between the Mycenaean kingdoms of Greece and the Hittite kingdom in central Anatolia.

Since 1992, Zangger argued that the small states of western Anatolia were at least as economically powerful as the Mycenaean kingdoms during the Late Bronze Age. He further contends that these predominantly Luwian language, Luwian-speaking and Anatolian hieroglyphs, writing states could pose a significant challenge to Hittite dominance in Asia Minor, potentially through a temporary military coalition.

In April 2014, Zangger founded the international non-profit foundation Luwian Studies, which, according to the commercial register of the Canton of Zurich, is dedicated to “researching and disseminating knowledge about the second millennium BC in western Asia Minor.” The foundation’s board includes Ivo Hajnal, Jorrit Kelder, Jörg Mull, Matthias Oertle, and Jeffrey Spier.

In May 2016, the foundation launched a trilingual website (German, English, and Turkish), serving as a platform for public and scholarly engagement. Simultaneously, Zangger published ''The Luwian Civilization: The Missing Link in the Aegean Bronze Age'', which introduced the region’s cultural and economic contributions to a broader audience.

In 2022, the foundation released a comprehensive volume of proceedings of sessions conducted during the annual conference of the European Association of Archaeologists in 2019.

In November 2024, Luwian Studies unveiled an innovative database management system on its website, documenting 483 known sites associated with the Luwian culture. This tool enables detailed scientific analysis of the settlements and underscores the region’s central importance in Bronze Age research.

Troy and Atlantis

In 1992, Eberhard Zangger proposed that Plato’s account of Atlantis may be based on an Ancient Egypt, Egyptian interpretation of the Trojan War. His argument draws on numerous parallels between the Mycenaean civilization and Plato’s descriptions of the civilization that waged war on Atlantis. Zangger compared the memory of the Trojan War to the conflict between Greece and Atlantis, identifying relics of artificial harbors and water management systems in the modern floodplain.

In a 1993 article published in the Oxford Journal of Archaeology, Zangger presented an extensive list of similarities between Plato’s depiction of Atlantis and ancient accounts of Troy, offering new insights into the historical relevance of the Atlantis narrative.

Zangger’s model initially garnered interest among prehistorians, particularly those focusing on the archaeological landscape, as it provided explanations for enigmatic findings without introducing speculative elements. However, his historicizing interpretation of Plato’s text was largely dismissed by classical philologists. Despite this criticism, Zangger’s work aligns with that of the Greek scholar Marcelle Laplace, who also recognized parallels between the wars involving Atlantis and Troy, describing them as self-evident.

In 1998, Zangger proposed an Aerial survey, aerial geophysical survey of the Trojan plain in collaboration with the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources in Hanover, Hannover, Germany, to identify settlement layers and artificial harbor basins. However, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (Turkey), Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Turkey, Türkiye denied permission for the project. In 2017, Zangger published a book on the pioneers of prehistoric archaeology in Anatolia, detailing how the interventions of Manfred Korfmann, the then-excavator of Troy, obstructed the proposed survey. In the fall of 1999, Zangger became a business consultant specializing in corporate communications and public relations. In 2002, he founded a content creation agency in Zurich which is today called science communications GmbH.

Odyssey

In his book The Flood from Heaven (1992), Zangger offered a novel interpretation of Homer's Odyssey by exploring its connections to the Bronze Age, Late Bronze Age and the collapse of Mycenaean civilization. Zangger argued that Odysseus' journey reflects not only mythic wanderings but also a metaphorical flashback to the zenith of Troy before its destruction. Since the 17th century, scholars have recognized that Homer's description of Scheria, the land of the Phaeacians, bears striking parallels to Plato's Atlantis. According to Zangger, Odysseus must stop at Scheria to experience the splendor (of Troy) that he destroyed with his cunning ways of entering the city. The analysis emphasized the futility of war as echoed in Odysseus' reflections on the Trojan conflict and the societal collapse that followed. Zangger proposed that the narrative encapsulates a critique of aristocratic anarchy and the broader societal chaos of late Helladic IIIC Greece (c. 1170 BC).

Sea Peoples

Eberhard Zangger proposed a hypothesis about the role of the Sea Peoples in the collapse of Bronze Age civilizations around 1200 BC, challenging traditional explanations. While some theories attribute the upheaval to natural disasters such as earthquakes or climate change, Zangger argues that a military conflict involving Luwian petty states in Western Asia Minor and the Hittite kingdom was the primary catalyst. According to Zangger, this conflict began with Luwian states, including Arzawa and Troy, uniting to liberate Cyprus from Hittite control using a naval fleet.

In a review of Zangger’s books ''The Flood from Heaven'' and ''Ein neuer Kampf um Troia'' in the Journal of Field Archaeology, U.S. prehistorian Daniel Pullen of Florida State University praised Zangger’s approach, noting that he “applies the rigors of scientific methodology to explaining the end of the Bronze Age in the eastern Mediterranean.”

The Estate of James Mellaart

In June 2017, Zangger received unpublished documents from the estate of the British prehistorian James Mellaart. The material, which Mellaart had identified as particularly important, consisted of two main sets of documents. The first was a drawing by Mellaart of a Luwian hieroglyphic inscription, believed to date from around 1180 BC. The original inscription was found in 1878 on limestone slabs at the village Beyköy, İhsaniye, Beyköy, 34 kilometers north of Afyonkarahisar in western Turkey. Mellaart’s notes also referred to bronze tablets, which were also found at Beyköy at the same time. These were inscribed with Hittite texts in Cuneiform#Sumero-Akkadian cuneiform, Akkadian cuneiform (the so-called “Beyköy Text”). These texts purportedly detailed political events during much of the Bronze Age from the perspective of rulers in Western Asia Minor. However, Mellaart’s estate contained only typewritten English translations of the claimed cuneiform tablets, with no original evidence of the inscriptions.

In December 2017, Zangger and the Dutch linguist Fred Woudhuizen published the drawings of the Luwian hieroglyphic inscriptions in the Dutch archaeological journal Talanta, dubbing them HL Beyköy 2. In early 2018, Zangger gained access to Mellaart’s former study in his North London apartment to investigate the authenticity of the materials. Together with Mellaart’s son Alan, Zangger conducted a thorough examination of the estate. The investigation revealed that Mellaart had completely invented the type-written “translations” of allegedly cuneiform texts. As a result, Zangger publicly distanced himself from Mellaart and accused him of forging documents.

Fred Woudhuizen, who co-edited the Luwian hieroglyphic inscription HL Beyköy 2 with Zangger, maintained that this particular portion of the material was nevertheless authentic and not forged by Mellaart. The scholarly community remains divided over the legitimacy of the findings associated with Mellaart’s estate.

Archaeoastronomy

In June 2019, Eberhard Zangger, in collaboration with archaeologist and astronomer Rita Gautschy of the University of Basel, published a groundbreaking interpretation of the Hittite rock sanctuary of Yazılıkaya at Hattusa, Ḫattuša. They proposed that the sequence of rock reliefs in Chamber A functioned as a lunisolar calendar, marking celestial events and timekeeping.

In a follow-up article in 2021, Zangger and Gautschy, joined by astronomer Ed Krupp, E. C. Krupp and ancient historian Serkan Demirel, expanded on this hypothesis. They interpreted Yazılıkaya as a symbolic representation of the cosmos, encompassing four static horizons: the underworld, the earth, the sky, and the circumpolar region of the heavens. According to their analysis, the sanctuary merged display of astronomical understanding with religious practice.

Social activities

In his 1997 novel ''Troja'', German author Gisbert Haefs included a character named “Tsanghar,” a literary reference to Zangger. The novel was inspired by the Troy-Atlantis theory.

Zangger became the first German member of literary agent John Brockman (literary agent), John Brockman’s Edge.org circle of leading thinkers.

Since 2005, Zangger gives invited lectures at the Winterseminar on Biophysical Chemistry, Molecular Biology, and Cybernetics of Cell Functions in Klosters, an event founded in 1966 by Nobel laureate Manfred Eigen.

Over a period of thirty years, the German magazine Der Spiegel featured Zangger's work in ten substantial articles, including a cover story (53/1998).

Eberhard Zangger received scholarships from the German Academic Scholarship Foundation and academic distinctions such as the Dean’s Prize for Outstanding ALM Thesis and the ALM Dean’s List for Academic Achievement at Harvard University.

Books

* The Landscape Evolution of the Argive Plain (Greece). Paleo-Ecology, Holocene Depositional History and Coastline Changes. PhD dissertation at Stanford University, University Microfilm International, Ann Arbor, Michigan 1988
* Geoarchaeology of the Argolid. Argolid, volume 2. Edited by the German Archaeological Institute. Gebrüder Mann Verlag, 149 pages, 1993 ISBN 3-7861-1700-4
* The Flood from Heaven – Deciphering the Atlantis Legend. Sidgwick & Jackson, London; 256 pages 1992 ISBN 0-283-06084 0
* Ein neuer Kampf um Troia – Archäologie in der Krise. Droemer Verlag. Munich, 352 pages 1994 ISBN 3-426-26682-2
* The Future of the Past: Archaeology in the 21st Century. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London, 2001 ISBN 0-297-64389-4
* The Luwian Civilization – The Missing Link in the Aegean Bronze Age. Ege Yayınları, Istanbul, 2016 ISBN 978-6059680-11-0
* Die Luwier und der Trojanische Krieg – Eine Entdeckungsgeschichte. Orell Füssli, Zurich, 2017  ISBN 978-3-280-05647-9.
* Woudhuizen, Frederik C., Eberhard Zangger: Early Mediterranean Scripts. Ege Yayınları, Istanbul, 2021 ISBN 978-605-7673-93-0.
* Hajnal, Ivo, Eberhard Zangger, and Jorrit M. Kelder, eds. The Political Geography of Western Anatolia in the Late Bronze Age. Proceedings of the EAA Conference Bern, 7 September 2019. Archaeolingua Series Minor. Budapest: Archaeolingua. 2022.
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Selected publications

* ''The Landscape Evolution of the Argive Plain (Greece). Paleo-Ecology, Holocene Depositional History and Coastline Changes.'' PhD dissertation at Stanford University, University Microfilm International, Ann Arbor, Michigan 1988
* Prehistoric Coastal Environments in Greece: The Vanished Landscapes of Dimini Bay and Lake Lerna. ''Journal of Field Archaeology'' 18 (1): 1-15. 1991
* Neolithic to Present Soil Erosion in Greece. In: ''Past and Present Soil Erosion'', edited by Martin Bell and John Boardman, 133‒147. Oxford: Oxbow Books. 1992
* The Island of Asine: A paleogeographic reconstruction. ''Opuscula Atheniensa'' XX.15: 221-239. 1994
* Zangger, Eberhard; Michael Timpson, Sergei Yazvenko, Falko Kuhnke & Jost Knauss: The Pylos Regional Archaeological Project; Landscape Evolution and Site Preservation, ''Hesperia'' 66 (4): 549-641. 1997
* Plato’s Atlantis Account: A distorted recollection of the Trojan War. ''Oxford Journal of Archaeology'' 18 (1): 77-87. 1993
* Zangger, Eberhard, Michael Timpson, Sergei Yazvenko and Horst Leiermann: Searching for the Ports of Troy. In: ''Environmental Reconstruction in Mediterranean Landscape'',
* Zangger, Eberhard; Woudhuizen, Fred. "Rediscovering Luwian Hieroglyphic Inscriptions from Western Asia Minor". ''Talanta. Proceedings of the Dutch Archaeological and Historical Society.'' 50: 9–56. 2018.
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* Zangger, Eberhard, Alper Aşınmaz, and Serdal Mutlu. “Middle and Late Bronze Age Western Asia Minor: A Status Report.” In: ''The Political Geography of Western Anatolia in the Late Bronze Age'', edited by Ivo Hajnal, Eberhard Zangger, and Jorrit M. Kelder, 45:39–180. Archaeolingua Series Minor. Budapest: Archaeolingua. 2022

Notes

External links

Foundation Luwian Studies, Zurich

Edge.org: Eberhard Zangger

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zangger, Eberhard
Archaeologists from North Rhine-Westphalia
Living people
1958 births
People from Kamen
University of Kiel alumni
Stanford University alumni
Harvard Extension School alumni