Klaus Schmidt (archaeologist) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Klaus Schmidt
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Klaus Schmidt in 2014 at the Monumento Tradefair in Salzburg
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| Born | 11 December 1953 |
| Died | 20 July 2014 (aged 60) Ückeritz, Germany
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| Nationality | German |
| Alma mater | Heidelberg University University of Erlangen-Nuremberg |
| Known for | Göbekli Tepe |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Archaeologist |
| Institutions | University of Erlangen-Nuremberg German Archaeological Institute |
| Doctoral advisor | Harald Hauptmann |
Klaus Schmidt (born December 11, 1953 – died July 20, 2014) was a German archaeologist. He was a prehistorian, meaning he studied very old times before written history. Schmidt is famous for leading the important excavations at Göbekli Tepe in Turkey. He worked there from 1996 until he passed away in 2014.
Contents
Klaus Schmidt's Life and Work
His Studies and Early Career
Klaus Schmidt studied many interesting subjects. He learned about prehistory (times before writing) and protohistory (early historical times). He also studied classical archaeology, which looks at ancient Greek and Roman cultures. Plus, he learned about geology, the study of Earth's rocks and soil. He studied at the universities of Erlangen and Heidelberg.
In 1983, he earned his doctorate degree from Heidelberg University. This is a very high academic degree. After that, he received money called a travel stipend from the German Archaeological Institute. This allowed him to travel and do research from 1984 to 1986. From 1986 to 1995, he worked on different projects. He was employed at the Institute of Pre- and Proto-history at Heidelberg University.
Discovering Göbekli Tepe
In 1995, Klaus Schmidt became the leader of excavations at two sites in Southeast Turkey: Gürcütepe and Göbekli Tepe. Göbekli Tepe would become his most famous discovery. In 1999, he completed his "habilitation" at the University of Erlangen. This is a special qualification needed to teach as a professor in Germany.
By 2000, he became a "Privatdozent" at the University of Erlangen. This meant he could teach pre- and proto-history there. In 2007, he became an adjunct professor at the same university. From 2001, he also worked for the German Archaeological Institute. He focused on prehistoric archaeology in the Middle East.
Schmidt bought a house in the nearby city of Urfa in 1995. This house became his main base for his work. His team of archaeologists usually dug at Göbekli Tepe for two months in the spring and two months in the fall. In 2011, Schmidt believed that only about five percent of the site had been uncovered.
Personal Life
Klaus Schmidt was married to another archaeologist, Çiğdem Köksal-Schmidt. Sadly, he passed away on July 20, 2014. He had a heart attack while swimming in Germany.
See also
In Spanish: Klaus Schmidt para niños
