Person · Researcher
Oliver Dietrich
An archaeologist on the Göbekli Tepe project since 2005, writing on its pillars, feasting and Urfa Man.
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Oliver Dietrich is an archaeologist who studied prehistoric archaeology in Berlin and has worked on the Göbekli TepeGöbekli TepeA Neolithic site in southeastern Turkey, known for communal buildings and T-shaped pillars; the excavation team describes a settlement with a pronounced ritual component.Glossary · Click to read the explanation project since 2005. A 2017 author note identified him then as a research assistant at the German Archaeological Institute in Berlin; it does not establish his present post.
These studies rely on him for Urfa ManUrfa ManA Neolithic human statue from Yeni Mahalle in Şanlıurfa, with a face and obsidian-inlaid eyes but no represented mouth. It was not found at Göbekli Tepe; its original function remains uncertain.Glossary · Click to read the explanation, the arrangement of the pillars, regional imagery and feasting. His name appears with Klaus Schmidt’s on the pillar volume published on 15 January 2026. [3]
The photograph shows Building D at Göbekli Tepe, the arrangement he discussed. The roof and braces are modern, and the photograph is not of him. [1]
References and notes
- Oliver Dietrich. Tepe Telegrams author biography, German Archaeological Institute. Short author biography: prehistoric archaeology training in Berlin and work on the project from 2005; see also the 2017 author note in reference 2. Return to the text ↑
- The author note at the end of the 2017 article page was read, not the whole article: research assistant at the German Archaeological Institute in Berlin, on the Göbekli Tepe project since 2005. Expedition Magazine, 2017, author note at the end of the article page Return to the text ↑
- Oliver Dietrich & Klaus Schmidt (2026). Göbekli Tepe: The Imagery of the Pillars in the Monumental Buildings A–D, F and H. iDAI.publications/books, 2140. Authorship, edition metadata and contents only; print edition dated 15 January 2026, PDF scheduled for July 2027. Return to the text ↑
Research history
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IL Archive, «Oliver Dietrich», Edition 5, https://ilarchive.com/en/people/oliver-dietrich