Scientific Research Officer

Dr Noémi Müller

British School at Athens
52 Souedias Street
Athens, 10676
+30 211 1022 832

flchemistry@bsa.ac.uk

As Scientific Research Officer I am responsible for the chemical analysis unit at the Fitch Laboratory. This includes the development of analytical protocols for the WD-XRF, ensuring the implementation of elemental analyses in the laboratory’s projects and collaboration in the integration of the analytical data with the results of petrographic, archaeological, ethnographic, and experimental data in order to reconstruct patterns of early ceramic production and circulation.

I am interested in applying analytical methods to investigate inorganic archaeological artefacts and materials, focusing on the study of provenance and technology and with a special interest in archaeological ceramics. My research also examines the affordance of utilitarian ceramics, in particular cooking ware, using material testing to explore the influence of technological choices in manufacture on mechanical and thermal properties.

I received an MSc in Chemistry from the ETH Zürich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich), Switzerland and a PhD in Archaeology from the University of Sheffield, UK. I previously held postdoctoral positions in Nicosia, Barcelona, and Athens.

Selected publications

• 2021, Kajzer, M., Marzec, E., Kiriatzi, E., Müller, N.S., Production and supply of ceramic oil lamps in Hellenistic and Early Roman Nea Paphos, Cyprus: Integrated typological, chronological and provenance studies, The Annual of the British School at Athens, 1-67.
• 2021, Marzec, E., Wicenciak U., Müller N.S., Kiriatzi E., Waliszewski, T., Pottery production in Chhîm (Sidon hinterland) in the Roman and early Byzantine periods: Petrographic and elemental analyses, Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 38
• 2020, Fantuzzi, L., Kiriatzi, E., Sáez Romero A.M., Müller, N.S., Williams, C.K., Punic amphorae found at Corinth: Provenance analysis and implications for the study of long-distance salt-fish trade in the Classical period, Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences 12
• 2020, Gardner, C., Müller, N.S., Vekinis, G., Freestone, I, Kilikoglou V., High temperature performance of two‐layered ceramics and the implications for Roman crucibles, Archaeometry 65 (5), 935-51
• 2019, Marzec, E., Kiriatzi, E, Müller, N.S., Hein A., 2019, An integrated typological, technological and provenance investigation of Late Hellenistic colour-coated pottery from Nea Paphos, Cyprus, Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences 11, 4103–22
• 2019, Day P.M., Müller N.S., Kilikoglou, V., Phase A (Fabrics and Technology chapter) In Irene Nikolakopoulou. Akrotiri, Thera. Middle Bronze Age Pottery and Stratigraphy Vols. Athens: Archaeologiki Etaireia Athinon, Library Series Volume 318, 323-376.
• 2018, Kilikoglou, V., Kiriatzi, E., Hein, A., Müller, N.S.,  Karatasios, I.,  Gait J. (eds.), Special section on “Developments in the analytical studies of ancient ceramics in Europe: methodological and archaeological implications” in Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 21, 911-1266
• 2018, Müller, N.S, Hein, A., Georgakopoulou, M., Kilikoglou, V., Kiriatzi, E., The effect of inter- and intra-source variation:  A comparison between WD-XRF and NAA data from Cretan clay deposits, Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 21, 929-937
• 2018, Marcec, E., Kiriatzi, E., Müller, N.S., Hein, A., Provenance and technology of a group of Hellenistic Colour Coated ware pottery from the excavations at Nea Paphos, Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 21, 1035-1043
• 2018, Charalambidou, X., Kiriatzi, E., Müller, N.S. Müller Celka, S. Verdan, S. Huber, S. Gex, K. Ackermann, G. Palaczyk, M.  Maillard, P., Eretrian ceramic production through time: Geometric to Hellenistic periods, Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 21, 983-994
• 2018, Gait , J., Müller, N.S., Kiriatzi, E., Baird, D., Examining the dynamics of Early Bronze Age pottery production and distribution in the Konya Plain of south central Anatolia, Turkey, in: Pottery technologies and sociocultural connections between the Aegean and Anatolia during the 3rd millennium BC (eds. E Alram-Stern, B. Horejs), 197-214 Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna.
• 2018, Müller Celka, S., Kiriatzi, E., Charalambidou, X., Müller, N.S., Early Helladic II-III Pottery Groups from Eretria (Euboea), in: Pottery technologies and sociocultural connections between the Aegean and Anatolia during the 3rd millennium BC (eds. E Alram-Stern, B. Horejs), 197-214 Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna.
• 2017, Hein, A., Müller, N.S., Kilikoglou, V., In and out: CFD modeling of the temperature distribution inside an ancient updraft pottery, In: Digital pasts for the present. (eds. Vavouranakis, G et al.), Department of History and Archaeology – National and Kapodistrian University, Athens
• 2017, Charalambidou X., Kiriatzi, E., Müller N.S., Scales of Ceramic Analysis on Naxos (Cyclades). In: Material Koinai in the Greek Early Iron Age and Archaic Period (eds. Handberg, S. & Gadolou, A.). Monographs of the Danish Institute at Athens 22, Aarhus.
• 2017, Hommel, P.N., Day, P.,  Jordan, P., Müller, N.S., Vetrov, V.M., Changing Clays: Raw material preferences in the ‘Neolithic’ ceramic assemblages of the Upper Vitim Basin, Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society 83, 137-154
• 2017, Müller, N.S., Mechanical and thermal properties, in: The Oxford Handbook of Archaeological Ceramic Analysis, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 603-624
• 2017, Georgakopoulou, M., Hein., A., Müller, N.S., Kiriatzi, E., Development and calibration of a WDXRF routine applied to provenance studies on archaeological ceramics, X-Ray Spectrometry 46, 186-199
• 2017, Kotsonas, A., Kiriatzi, E., Charalambidou, X., Roumpou, M., Müller, N.S., Bessios, M., Transport Amphorae from Methone: An interdisciplinary study of production and trade ca. 700 BC, in: Panhellenes in Methone – Graphê in Late Geometric and Protoarchaic Methone, Macedonia – ca 700 BCE (eds. Strauss, C., Malkin, I., Tzifopoulos, Y.Z., De Gruyter, 9-19
• 2017, Kiderlen, M., Hein, A., Mommsen, H., Müller, N.S., Production sites of EIA Greek Bronze tripod cauldrons – First evidence from Neutron Activation Analysis of casting ceramics, Geoarchaeology 32, 321-342
• 2016, Müller, N.S., Vekinis, G., Kilikoglou, V., Impact resistance of archaeological ceramics: the influence of firing and temper, Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 7, 519-525
• 2016, Charalambidou, X, Kiriatzi E., Müller, N.S., Georgakopoulou, M., Müller Celka, S., Krapf, T., Eretrian ceramic products through time: Investigating the early history of a Greek metropolis, Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 7, 530-535
• 2016, Kordatzaki, G., Kiriatzi, E., Müller, N.S., Voyatzis, M.; Romano, D., Petrakis S., Forsén, J., Nordquist, G., Rodriguez-Alvarez, E., Linn, S., A diachronic investigation of local pottery production and supply at the Sanctuary of Zeus, Mount Lykaion, Arcadia, Peloponnese, Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 7, 526-529
• 2015, Ferrer, S.G., Müller, N.S., Kilikoglou, V., High-performance transport jars for long-distance trading during the 16th century, in: Global Pottery1. Historical Archaeology and Archaeometry for Societies in Contact (eds. J. Buxeda i Garrigós, M. Madrid I Fernández, J. G. Iñañez), 51-65, BAR Int. Series 2761, Archaeopress, Oxford.
• 2015, Müller, N.S., Kilikoglou, V., Day, P.M., Home-made recipes: Tradition and Innovation in Bronze Age cooking pots from Akrotiri, Thera. Ceramics Cuisine and Culture, the Archaeology and Science of Kitchen Pottery in the Ancient Mediterranean World (eds. Spataro M., Villing A.), 37-48, Oxbow Books, Oxford.
• 2015, Hein, A., Müller, N.S., Kilikoglou, V., Heating efficiency of archaeological cooking vessels: computer models and simulation of heat transfer, Ceramics Cuisine and Culture, the Archaeology and Science of Kitchen Pottery in the Ancient Mediterranean World (eds. Spataro M., Villing A.), 49-54, Oxbow Books, Oxford.
• 2015,  Day, P.M., Cau-Ontiveros, M.A., Mas-Florit, C., Müller, N.S., A contextual ethnography of cooking vessel production at Pòrtol, Mallorca (Balearic Islands), Ceramics Cuisine and Culture, the Archaeology and Science of Kitchen Pottery in the Ancient Mediterranean World (eds. Spataro M., Villing A.), 55-64, Oxbow Books, Oxford.
• 2015, Müller, N.S., Kilikoglou, V., Day, P.M., Vekinis, G., The influence of microstructure and texture on the mechanical performance of rock-tempered archaeological ceramics, Journal of the European Ceramic Society, 30, 2457-2465, 831–843.
• 2015, Hein A., Karatasios I., Müller, N.S., Kilikoglou, V., 2015, Material properties of pyrotechnical ceramics used in the Bronze Age Aegean and implications on metallurgical technologies, Archaeometallurgy III, (eds. Hauptmann A., Modaressi-Tehrani, D.), 279-285, Der Anschnitt, Beiheft 26.
• 2014, Müller, N.S., Kilikoglou, V., Day, P.M., Vekinis, G., Thermal shock resistance of tempered archaeological ceramics. In Craft and science: International perspectives on archaeological ceramics (ed. M. Martinón-Torres), 263-270, Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar.
• 2014, Karatasios, I., Alexiou, K., Müller, N.S., Kilikoglou, V., Day, P.M. The second life of ceramics: a new home in a lime environment. In Craft and science: International perspectives on archaeological ceramics (ed. M. Martinón-Torres), 271-279, Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar.
• 2013, Müller, N.S., Kilikoglou, V., Day, P.M., Bronze Age cooking pots: Thermal properties and cooking methods, Préhistoires méditerranéennes, [online] 4│2013.
• 2013, Hein, A., Karatasios, I., Müller, N.S., Kilikoglou, V., Heat transfer properties of pyrotechnical ceramics used in ancient metallurgy, Thermochimica Acta 573, 87-94.
• 2013, Roumpou, M., Müller, N.S., Kalogeropoulos, N., Day, P.M., Nikolakopoulou, E., Kilikoglou, V., An interdisciplinary approach to the study of cooking vessels from Bronze Age Akrotiri, Thera. In: Pharos Supplements 1, Diet, Economy and Society in the Ancient Greek World (eds S. Voutsaki and S.M. Valamoti), 33-46, Peeters, Leuven
• 2013, Alexiou, A., Müller, N.S., Karatasios, I., Kilikoglou, V., The performance of different adhesives for archaeological ceramics under mechanical stress, Applied Clay Science 82, 10-15.
• 2013, Karatasios, I., Hein, A., Müller, N.S., Triantafyllides, P., Kilikoglou, V., Technological insights into the Ancient Ceramic Beehive production of Agathonisi Island, Greece. Applied Clay Science 82, 37-43.
• 2012, Müller, N.S., Hein, A., Kilikoglou V., Day, P.M., Modelling of thermal stresses in prehistoric cooking ware. In Proceedings of the 5th Symposium of the Hellenic Society of Archaeometry (eds. N. Zacharias, M. Georgakopoulou, K. Polykreti, G. Fakorellis, and T. Bakoulis), 477-491, Papazisi Editions, Athens.
• 2010, Müller, N.S., Kilikoglou, V., Day, P.M., Vekinis, G., The influence of temper shape on the mechanical properties of archaeological ceramics. Journal of the European Ceramic Society 30, 2457-2465.
• 2009, Müller, N.S., Kilikoglou V., Day, P.M., Hein, A., Vekinis, G., The influence of temper on performance characteristics of cooking ware ceramics. In Vessels: inside and outside, Proceedings of the conference EMAC’07, 9th European meeting on ancient ceramics (eds. K.T. Biró, V. Szilágyi, A. Kreiter), 145-150, Hungarian National Museum, Budapest.
• 2009, Hein, A., Müller, N.S., Kilikoglou, V., Great pots on fire: thermal properties of archaeological cooking ware, in Vessels: inside and outside. Proceedings of the conference EMAC’07, 9th European meeting on ancient ceramics (eds. K.T. Biró, V. Szilágyi, A. Kreiter), 15-20, Hungarian National Museum, Budapest.
• 2008, Hein, A., Müller, N.S., Kilikoglou, V., Day, P.M., Thermal conductivity of archaeological ceramics: the effect of inclusions, porosity and firing temperature. Thermochimica Acta 480, 35-42.