Aydogdy Kurbanov (in Turkmen: ''Aýdogdy Gurbanow'', born 2 February 1976, in

Ashgabat Ashgabat or Asgabat ( tk, Aşgabat, ; fa, عشق‌آباد, translit='Ešqābād, formerly named Poltoratsk ( rus, Полтора́цк, p=pəltɐˈratsk) between 1919 and 1927), is the capital and the largest city of Turkmenistan. It lies ...

Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic The Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic (, ; russian: Туркменская Советская Социалистическая Республика, ''Turkmenskaya Sovetskaya Sotsialisticheskaya Respublika''), also commonly known as Turkmenistan o ...

USSR The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

) is a Turkmen

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

and historian whose main area of research is

prehistoric Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use of ...

and

late antiquity Late antiquity is the time of transition from classical antiquity to the Middle Ages, generally spanning the 3rd–7th century in Europe and adjacent areas bordering the Mediterranean Basin. The popularization of this periodization in English ha ...

of Central Asia. Born in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, he graduated from the

Turkmen State University Turkmen State University named for Magtymguly ( tk, Magtymguly adyndaky Türkmen döwlet uniwersiteti) is one of the leading universities in Turkmenistan, located in the capital city Ashgabat. It is named after Magtymguly Pyragy, a Turkmen poet. ...

named after Magtymguly and he did a Ph.D. at the

Free University of Berlin The Free University of Berlin (, often abbreviated as FU Berlin or simply FU) is a public research university in Berlin, Germany. It is consistently ranked among Germany's best universities, with particular strengths in political science and t ...

and has been a

postdoctoral researcher A postdoctoral fellow, postdoctoral researcher, or simply postdoc, is a person professionally conducting research after the completion of their doctoral studies (typically a PhD). The ultimate goal of a postdoctoral research position is to p ...

in archaeology and history at the

Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan The Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan () is a state body in Turkmenistan founded in 1951, which is responsible for the implementation of Turkmen scientific and technical policy. The academy was closed under president Saparmurat Niyazov and reope ...

. He has been the head of department of archaeology of the Academy's Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography.

Education

Kurbanov completed a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

from the Free University of Berlin, Germany. He has been a 'Gerda Henkel visiting research fellow' at the

German Archaeological Institute The German Archaeological Institute (german: Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, ''DAI'') is a research institute in the field of archaeology (and other related fields). The DAI is a "federal agency" under the Federal Foreign Office of Germany ...

. He speaks multiple languages including English, Russian, Turkish, Turkmen, and German.

Career and research

Kurbanov has been a postdoctoral researcher in the field of history and archaeology at the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan, with ''"The Eastern frontiers of the

Sasanian Empire The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the History of Iran, last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th cen ...

: Case Study in Southern Turkmenistan"'' as his research project. He has served as the head of the institute's Department of Archaeology. He has also worked at the Eurasian department of the German Archaeological Institute in Berlin. From January to April 2007, he worked at the University of Pennsylvania's Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations on the research project ''"State Building by the Hephthalites (White Huns) in the Fourth Through Sixth Centuries"'' under the

Fulbright Scholar Program The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

. With financial grants from

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...

, he executed two research projects in Turkmenistan, namely ''"Defining the Eastern Frontiers of the Sasanian Empire. Survey in the Ancient Abiverd and

Merv Merv ( tk, Merw, ', مرو; fa, مرو, ''Marv''), also known as the Merve Oasis, formerly known as Alexandria ( grc-gre, Ἀλεξάνδρεια), Antiochia in Margiana ( grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐν τῇ Μαργιανῇ) and ...

Regions. (from 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015)" and "Exploring the

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

Chalcolithic The Copper Age, also called the Chalcolithic (; from grc-gre, χαλκός ''khalkós'', "copper" and ''líthos'', "stone") or (A)eneolithic (from Latin '' aeneus'' "of copper"), is an archaeological period characterized by regular ...

Transition in Central Asia. Excavations in Dashly-depe. (from 1 March 2018 to 28 February 2019)"''. From June 1 to July 2018, he was a guest researcher for the ''Directeurs d’Études Associés (Associate Research Directors) programme,'' which is the "oldest international mobility programme" at the '' (Foundation House of Human Sciences)'', that was started in 1975 by the joint efforts of the French Secretary of State for Universities, Department for Higher Education and Research, and

Fernand Braudel Fernand Braudel (; 24 August 1902 – 27 November 1985) was a French historian and leader of the Annales School. His scholarship focused on three main projects: ''The Mediterranean'' (1923–49, then 1949–66), ''Civilization and Capitalism'' ...

. He has also excavated in Turkmenistan. He is a research fellow at the Institute of Ancient Near Eastern Archaeology of the Free University of Berlin.

Works

Books

Some of the books authored and coauthored by Kurbanov are as follows: * * * *

Research papers

Some of the research papers authored by Kurbanov are as follows: * * * * *

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kurbanov, Aydogdy 1976 births Free University of Berlin alumni German Archaeological Institute 21st-century archaeologists 21st-century historians Living people