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Studying history in combination with African Studies at Vienna University I set my focus on two topics, namely Austrian travelers to Northeast Africa in the 19th century and the scientific discipline of Meroitic Studies. Therefore, I dedicated subsequent research on Austria’s involvement into regional African affairs during the named period as well as a unique culture, offering by its archaeological and textual sources reconstruction of a most significant civilization of African antiquity. So my MA thesis concerned Austrian travelers to Sudan in the 19th century and my Ph.D. thesis dealt with the biography of Martin Ludwig Hansal, who spent about 30 years in 19th century Sudan, whereas my habilitation presented a study on the social and economic structure of the Meroitic Empire.

Between 1985 and 1990 I have been collaborator in two research projects, one of which was dealing with the African component of the Meroitic culture and the other with the economic and social structure of the Meroitic Empire. In the course of these projects, I was able to visit the Sudan and its archaeological sites for the first time. Delivering courses on African history as lecturer and later on assistant since 1988, I became associate professor in 2001.

Being member of several national and international scientific societies (serving in the board of the “International Society for Nubian Studies” from 2002 to 2010), organizing the 11th International Conference for Meroitic Studies in Vienna in 2008, I am also editor of the international periodical “Beiträge zur Sudanforschung” and the accompanying monograph series “Beihefte zu den Beiträgen zur Sudanforschung”.

Research Interests:
Austria and the exploration of Africa, African history and archaeology, Meroitic Studies, Nubian Studies

Major Themes:
- Austrian travelers to Northeast Africa
- Meroitic Art
- Meroitic Iconography and Chronology
- “Museum Archaeology” (i.e. research on the whereabouts of “lost” Meroitic objects)

Institut für Afrikawissenschaften

Spitalgasse 2, Hof 5 (Campus)
1090 Wien
Zimmer: 2Q-O1-12

T: +43-1-4277-43204

michael.zach@univie.ac.at