A European Center for Collaborative Synthesis to be established at Kiel University

On August 27, 2024, Prof. Dr. Ralph Schneider, Vice President of Kiel University, and Prof. Dr. Martin Furholt, as spokesperson of the ARCWorlds research center, signed a letter of intent in Kiel to establish a European Center for Collaborative Synthesis in Archaeology (CCSA-Kiel) in the presence of Dr. Jeff Altschul, Co-President of the Coalition for Archaeological Synthesis (CfAS). CCSA-Kiel will work cooperatively with the US-based CCSA-Boulder to support CfAS’ mission of “fostering synthesis in archaeology to expand knowledge and benefit society.” CCSA-Kiel, which is an outgrowth of the CfAS strategic plan, will provide the CfAS with more direct links to European scholars, ideas, and research opportunities. As Jeff Altschul states, “Kiel University is known for innovative and interdisciplinary research on the human past. That is why it is the ideal partner for us in this project”. As for Kiel’s interest, Martin Furholt added, “This endeavor to research the human past holistically and to detect connections to the present coincides with the goals of archaeological and historical research at Kiel University and especially that of the Cluster of Excellence ROOTS. Therefore, it is only logical to create an institutionalized liaison office in Kiel”.

With the letter of intent complete, the next step will be completing a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between CfAS and Kiel. Both parties believe that the MOU can be executed later this year.