Mag. Martin Fera
Universität Wien
Institut für Urgeschichte und Historische Archäologie
Franz-Klein-Gasse 1
1190 Wien
T: (+43) 01 4277 40304
Email: martin.fera@univie.ac.at
Main Areas of Research
Landscape Archaeology, Aerial Archaeology, Archaeological Prospection, Geographic Information Science, Image Based Modelling, Airborne Laserscanning, Stratigraphic Excavation, Digital Humanities, Neolithic, Iron Age Research, Diachronic Landscape Studies.
Education
Currently | Ph.D. candidate in Prehistoric and Historic Archaeology, IC: Archaeological Prospection at the University of Vienna |
2002-2011 | Study in the Master Programme in Prehistoric and Early Historical Archaeology at the University of Vienna, Master defence passed with distinction in 2011 |
1993-1998 | Studies of Prehistoric and Early Historical Archaeology in combination with Classical Archaeology, Art History and Slavic Studies at the University of Vienna |
Further Training
2005 | SOCRATES ERASMUS intensive programme on Remote Sensing for Past Landscapes - RESPAL at the University of Ljubljana |
Research Positions and Projects
Since 01/2017 | Researcher at Interreg project Iron-Age-Danube – Monumentalized Early Iron Age Landscapes in the Danube River Basin at the Department for Prehistoric and Early Historical Archaeology, University of Vienna (expert for the setup of data standards and guidelines for archaeological landscape research, archaeological visualisations) |
08/2016-12/2016 | Researcher at the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Archaeological Prospection and Virtual Archaeology (LBI ArchPro) (motorised geomagnetic and ground penetrating radar surveys in area of Paderborn, Westfalen and Trier, Rheinland Pfalz) |
12/2015-07/2016 | Researcher at the LMU-Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Institut für Ägyptologie und Koptologie. Main working field at project AcrossBorders, Sudan, directed by J. Budka (deputy field director, single context 3D-documentation of excavation in pharaonic town and cemetery using photogrammetry, assisting micromorphological and geoarchaeological sampling, landscape modelling, kite aerial photography) |
05/2015-11/2015 | Collaborative Researcher at the project Mikrotaphonomy and Interpretation of reopened graves, Austrian Academy of Sciences, directed by E. Aspöck (image based 3D-modeling, virtual taphonomy model, 3D/4D-GIS analysis) |
01/2015-04/2015 | Researcher at the ERC Starting grant project AcrossBorders, Settlement patterns in Egypt and Nubia in the 2nd Millennium BC, in Sudan, directed by J. Budka (deputy field director, single context 3D-documentation of excavation in pharaonic town and cemetery using photogrammetry, assisting micromorphological and geoarchaeological sampling, landscape modelling, kite aerial photography) |
10/2011-12/2014 | Research Assistant at the Initiative College ArchPro at the Vienna Institute for Archaeological Science, University of Vienna (PhD-research, lecturing, organisation and execution of aerial reconnaissance flights, development of GIS-based workflows) |
02/2010-12/2010 | Researcher in the project HALL-IMPACT: Disentangling climate and culture impact on prehistoric alpine cultures at the Prehistoric Department of the Natural History Museum, Vienna, directed by K. Kowarik (Database design, management and GIS analyses) |
01/2009-05/2009 | Research Assistant for the project ASTROSIM: Simulation of astronomic aspects of middle Neolithic circular ditch systems at the Vienna Institute for Archaeological Science, directed by W. Neubauer (GIS consultancy and development of analytical tools) |
01/2006-12/2008 | Research Assistant in the project LIDAR supported prospection in woodlands at the Aerial Archive of the University of Vienna, directed by M. Doneus (processing of LIDAR-derived DEMs, GIS-based interpretation and field evaluation) |
10/2005-09/2007 | Junior Scientist in the project Prehistoric and antique roads crossing the Eastern Austrian Alps - documentation and reconstruction of archaeological settlement, trade and traffic patterns with the help of a GIS-based archaeological database at the Austrian Academy of Sciences, directed by O. H. Urban (coordination, aerial reconnaissance flights, GIS management and analysis, scientific reporting, public relations) |
11/2003-10/2005 | Research Assistant in the project The Celts in the Hinterland of Carnuntum, directed by M. Doneus at the Institute of Prehistoric and Medieval Archaeology of the University of Vienna (interpretation of aerial images, field walking, GIS-based mapping and spatial analyses) |
06/2001-10/2008 | Scientific team member in the project Interdisziplinäre Siedlungs- und wirtschaftsarchäologische Untersuchungen der befestigten urzeitlichen Siedlung Schwarzenbach-Burg, directed by W. Neubauer at the Vienna Institute for Archaeological Science (field director, organisation and management of international interdisciplinary field team, development and teaching of excavation methods, coordination of post excavation analyses) |
Since 2012 | Prospection assistant of the LBI ArchPro, Archaeological Remote Sensing |
Since 2008 | Associated researcher of VIAS-Geophysical Prospection, Geodesy & Photogrammetry |
Since 2000 | Regular freelance worker at University of Vienna, Aerial Archive, Vienna Institute for Archaeological Science and Institute of Prehistoric and Historical Archaeology |
Since 1992 | Participation in international and national excavation campaigns and archaeological prospection projects (Austria, Sudan, Norway, Slovakia, Croatia and Italy) |
University Teaching
Since 2015 | Lecturer for the course “Introduction to geodesy for archaeologists” |
2013 | Lecturer for the course “GIS-based approaches to Landscape Archaeology” |
Since 2012 | Lecturer for the course “Stratigraphic fieldwork practice” |
2004-2010 | Tutor for the lectures “Stratigraphic practical fieldwork”, “Introduction to geodesy for archaeologists”, “Digital documentation of stratigraphic excavations”, “Airborne Laser scanning (LIDAR) for archaeologists” |
Selected Articles
(*peer-reviewed; from 2013)
M. Fera, J. Budka, Leben und Tod auf der Nilinsel Sai – GIS-gestützte Untersuchungen zu einer pharaonischen Tempelstadt in Obernubien. AGIT – Journal für Angewandte Geoinformatik, 2-2016, 18-24.
*E. Aspöck & M. Fera, 3D-GIS für die taphonomische Auswertung eines wiedergeöffneten Körpergrabes. AGIT ‒ Journal für Angewandte Geoinformatik, 1-2015. Berlin/Offenbach 2015, 2-8. doi: 10.14627/537557001
M. Doneus, M. Fera, A. Zámolyi & E. Draganits, Remote Sensing and Environmental Archaeology: Mapping a river system and predicting the location of archaeological sites in the Leitha-valley (Austria). In: Abstracts. XVII World UISPP Congress, 1-7 Sept. 2014. Burgos 2014, 358.
M. Kucera, W. Neubauer, M. Fera & M. Doneus, Monitoring and Analysis of Excavation Processes Using Virtual Archaeology. In: Abstracts, Annual Meeting 2014. Canadian Archaeological Association. London, Ontario, Canada. 2014, 27.
*M. Fera, The utilisation of remote sensing data for the investigation of Iron Age sites and landscapes – a case study from Austria. In: W. Neubauer, I. Trinks, R. B. Salisbury and C. Einwögerer (eds.). Archaeological Prospection. Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Archaeological Prospection. Wien, Austria, 29.05.-02.06.2013. Wien 2013, 400-402.
*J. Coolen, M. Fera, M. Doneus, E. Grillmayer, Using barcode, tablet PC and smartphone technology for archaeological field survey. In: W. Neubauer, I. Trinks, R. B. Salisbury and C. Einwögerer (eds.). Archaeological Prospection. Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Archaeological Prospection. Wien, Austria, 29.05.-02.06.2013. Wien 2013, 195-196.
S. Sabatini, Ch. Sevara, M. Fera, P. Schneidhofer, J. Kainz, Tales from beech forest: Laser scanning project at Monte Cimino (Italy) hillfort. In: S. Bergerbrant & S. Sabatini (eds.), Counterpoint: essays in archaeology and heritage studies in Honour of Professor Kristian Kristiansen. Oxford 2013, 679-684.
M. Kucera, E. Nau, K. Kastowsky, P. Schneidhofer & M. Fera, Terrestrial 3D laser scanning in archaeology. In: The State Hermitage (ed.), Virtual Archaeology: Proceedings of the First International Conference held at the State Hermitage Museum 4-6 June 2012. St. Petersburg 2013, 125-128.
M. Fera, M. Doneus & W. Neubauer, 3D-documentation and visualisation of stratigraphic archaeological excavations. In: The State Hermitage (ed.), Virtual Archaeology: Proceedings of the First International Conference held at the State Hermitage Museum 4-6 June 2012. St. Petersburg 2013, 140-142.