Prof. Jörg W.E. Faßbinder

Research Interests

Archaeological geophysics with a focus on magnetometer prospection, resistivity mapping, remote sensing and aerial archaeology. Archaeo-geophysical measurements to understand urban structures in Mesopotamia and South America. Research on soil and environmental magnetism for the interpretation of archaeological structures.

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Magnetometer survey to decipher Assyrian urbanism

For over 150 years, archaeological excavations and research of Assyrian capitals have been taking place in Mesopotamia. With few exceptions, however, research has focused mainly on citadels, temples, and palaces. Little is known about the organization, street network, density and size of residential buildings, of workshops, pyrotechnic installations or open spaces of these cities (virtually nothing in the case of Nimrud and Khorsabad). Large-scale excavations at these sites could answer such research questions. However, such excavations would require an enormous amount of time, numerous scientists and workers, as well as storage and conservation facilities to secure all the finds. Archaeological geophysics can bridge this gap. Magnetometer prospection is a geophysical prospection method that has evolved into an indispensable discipline of archaeology in the more than 70 years since its first application at archaeological sites. The highly sensitive magnetometers enable the mapping of archaeological finds below the surface to a depth of 2–3 meters with decimetre accuracy and provides us with a profound understanding of the urbanism of these cities.

Running projects

• Magnetometer Prospecting of the lower town of Nimrud (Kalhu) (2025 – 2027), “Nimrud Lower Town Archaeological Project” in cooperation with the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage in Baghdad and University of Udine)
• Magnetometer prospecting of Khorsabad (Dur-Sharrukin) (2022 - 2027, cooperation with State Board of Antiquities and Heritage in Baghdad Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne, University Paris, Musée du Louvre) •
• Geophysical Prospection of the lower town of Assur (completed)
• Cooperation with Karen Radner, Institute of Ancient History at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich in the project: New Archaeological Exploration of Assur (completed)

Fassbinder, Jörg W. E.; Squitieri, Andrea; Wolf, Marco (2025) Exploring Assur: The 2024 Earth Resistivity Tomography (ERT) prospecting in the Assur New Town. In: Karen Radner & Andrea Squitieri (eds.), Assur 2024: Continuing the excavations in the New Town and other research across the site. Publisher: PeWe-Verlag https://doi:10.5282/ubm/epub.127185

Fassbinder, J.W.E., Herr, J.-J., Wolf, M., Butterlin, P. (2024) NS14A-03 Blue prints of the Assyrian empire: Magnetic traces of Khorsabad, capital of Sargon II https://agu.confex.com/agu/agu24/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/1663117

Fassbinder, J.W.E., Hahn, S., Parsi, M. (2024) World Archaeo-Geophysics, One World Archaeology. Geophysical Prospecting on Soils in Mesopotamia: From MegaCities in the Marches of Southern Iraq to Assyrian Sites in the Mountains of Kurdistan. Chapter 10. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-57900-4

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Magnetometer survey of the ancient cities of Mesopotamia Uruk, Ur and Fara

Uruk is considered one of the world's first major cities. It was the scene of action for the oldest epic poem in human history, the Epic of Gilgamesh. With its monumental buildings, some up to 5,500 years old, Uruk is regarded as the birthplace of cuneiform writing and a center of early innovation. Since 2000 (interrupted only by the Iraq War), we have been investigating this megacity using geophysical methods to create a comprehensive urban map. The data allows for a detailed analysis of the city's structures and the identification of an extensive network of canals and locks within the city.
In close cooperation with the Institute for Near Eastern Archaeology at LMU but with the same goal, we have been researching the ruins of the city of Ur and of FaraŠuruppak since 2018.

Fassbinder, J.W.E.; Hahn, S.E. and Parsi, M. (2025) Archaeological geophysics in the marshy area of Southern Mesopotamia: Insights and details of Water management in Uruk-Warka, Ur and Fara-Šuruppak. Sumer & Sea ARWA https://doi.org/10.1484/M.ARATTA-EB.5.143623

Einwag, B., Otto, A., Fassbinder, J.W.E. (2025) Harbours, water gates and canals in Šuruppak and Ur. New results from old sites. Sumer & Sea ARWA https://doi.org/10.1484/M.ARATTA-EB.5.143624

Hahn Sandra E., Fassbinder Jörg W. E., Otto Adelheid, Einwag Berthold, Al-Hussainy Abbas Ali (2022) Revisiting Fara: Comparison of merged prospection results of diverse magnetometers with the earliest excavations in ancient ˇSuruppak from 120 years ago. Archaeological Prospection. 2022;1–13. https://doi.org/10.1002/arp.1878

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Early urbanism in the Amazon

Researchers from the German Archaeological Institute, the University of Bonn and the University of Exeter mapped one of the largest known settlement of the Casarabe culture in Amazon forest by LIDAR (see: https://www.uni-bonn.de/en/news/110- 2022). While mapping with the laser technology LIDAR indicates that it is an early urbanism with a low population density the results do not show any architectural features beneath the soil. However, through magnetometer prospection, earth resistance tomography (ERT) and ground magnetic analysis, we were able to identify details of archaeological features such as house plans and ditches that are located in the LIDAR image between the monumental architecture and had previously remained unknown. Our results indicate that the area could be much more densely settled and populated than previously thought.

Funding: The study was funded by the German Archaeological Institute and the Ministry of Planning of the Plurinational State of Bolivia and the Gerda Henkel Stiftung.

Heiko Prümers, Carla Jaimes Betancourt, José Iriarte, Mark Robinson & Martin Schaich: Lidar reveals pre-Hispanic low-density urbanism in the Bolivian Amazon. Nature; https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-04780-4

Fassbinder, Jorg W.E., Lambers, Lena S., Hahn, Sandra E. Torrico, Renan, James Betancourt Carla (2025) Prospecting in the southwestern Amazon forest (Bolivia): Magnetometry near the geomagnetic Equator. PUR – ArcheoSciences ICAP 2025 Ghent https://doi.org/10.4000/14ns0

Fassbinder, J.W.E., Lambers, Lena S., Hahn, Sandra E. Torrico, Renan, James Betancourt (2025) NS13A-05 Archaeogeophysical area survey in the Amazon rainforest of Bolivia https://agu.confex.com/agu/agu25/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/1943737

Publications