Scientific Interests:

• Geoarchaeology
• Micromorphology
• Geochemistry
• Geomorphology
• Quaternary Research

Regions: Ethiopia, Namibia

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Ph.D. Research Topic:

Geoarchaeological analyses and palaeoenvironmental reconstruction in southwest Ethiopia

Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Olaf Bubenzer

Advisor: PD Dr. Martin Kehl

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Curriculum Vitae:

Education:

2016 Master of Science “Quaternary Science and Geoarchaeology” at the University of Cologne

Thesis: Geoarchäologische Untersuchungen zur Genese der Sedimentabfolge des Middle & Early Later Stone Age im Pockenbank Rock Shelter, Südwest Namibia.

2013 Bachelor of Science “Geoscience” at the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz

Thesis: Isotopengeochemische Untersuchungen an mitteldevonischen Brachiopoden des Rheinischen Schiefergebirges.

Academic Professional Experience:

2017 Research assistant, Graduate School of Geosciences, Institute of Geography, University of Cologne (working group of Prof. Dr. Olaf Bubenzer, Arbeitsgruppe Quartärforschung und angewandte Geomorphologie - Abteilung für Afrikaforschung)

2016 Research assistant, Institute of Prehistoric Archaeology, University of Cologne (working group of Dr. Isabell Schmidt, Pockenbank Project, Namibia)

2015 - 2016 Student research assistant, Institute of Geography, University of Cologne (working group of Dr. Isabell Schmidt, Pockenbank Project, Namibia)

2014 - 2016 Student research assistant, Institute of Geography, University of Cologne (working group of PD Dr. M. Kehl, Project C1 at the CRC 806 "Our Way to Europe")

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Current Projects:

CRC 806 – Our Way to Europe, Project A1: Late Pleistocene Rock Shelter Stratigraphies and Palaeoenvironments in Northeastern Africa, PhD Candidate

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Publications:

Hensel, E. A., Vogelsang, R., Noack, T., Bubenzer, O. (2021): Stratigraphy and Chronology of Sodicho Rockshelter – A New Sedimentological Record of Past Environmental Changes and Human Settlement Phases in Southwestern Ethiopia, Front. Earth Sci., Vol. 8, https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2020.611700

Hensel, E. A., Bödeker, O., Bubenzer, O., and Vogelsang, R. (2019): Combining geomorphological–hydrological analyses and the location of settlement and raw material sites – a case study on understanding prehistoric human settlement activity in the southwestern Ethiopian Highlands, E&G Quaternary Sci. J., Vol. 68, Issue 2, 201–213, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-201-2019

Schmidt, I., Ossendorf, G., Hensel, E., Bubenzer, O., Eichhorn, B., Gessert, L., Gwasira, G., Henselowsky, F., Imalwa, E., Kehl, M., Rethemeyer, J., Röpke, A., Sealy, J., Stengel, S., & Tusenius, M., (2016). New investigations at the Middle Stone Age site Pockenbank Rock Shelter, Namibia. Antiquity, Vol. 90, Issue 353

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Conference Contribution:

Talks:

2019

Hensel, E.A., Bubenzer, O., Kehl, M., Vogelsang, R., Boedeker, O.: Late Pleistocene palaeoenvironment in southwest Ethiopia - insights from geoarchaeological investigations at diffent spatial scales, 20th Congress of the Internation Union for Quaternary Research (INQUA), Dublin, Ireland, 25.-31.07.2019

2018

Hensel, E.A., Bubenzer, O., Vogelsang, R.: Geoarchaeological investigation of volcanic rockshelters in SW Ethiopia: Case study ‘Sodicho‘, Jahrestagung des Arbeitskreises Geoarchäologie, München, Germany, 04.-06.05.2018

Poster:

2019

Hensel, E.A., Kehl, M., Bubenzer, O., Vogelsang, R.: Reconstructing environmental changes during the Late Pleistocene in southwestern Ethiopia – insights from geoarchaeological investigations at the Sodicho Rockshelter, European Geosciences Union, Vienna, Austria, 07.-12.04.2019

2018

Hensel, E.A., Bubenzer, O., Vogelsang, R.: Hydrological analysis in the SW Ethiopian Highlands – Case study in understanding water availability and prehistoric settlement since the Late Pleistocene. Central European Conference on Geomorphology and Quaternary Sciences, Giessen, Germany, 23. - 37.09.2018

Henselowsky, F., Pflüger, O., Schmidt, I., Ossendorf, G., Hensel, E., Bubenzer, O.: Possible effects of periodic wet years for ancient human-environment interaction in the southern Namib Desert - Modern analogs as a base for geoarchaeological research hypotheses. The African Quaternary (AFQUA), Nairobi, Kenya, 14.-22.07.2018

Hensel, E.A., Bubenzer, O., Vogelsang, R.: Sodicho Rockshelter and ’Out of Africa II’, SW Ethiopia: Initial geoarchaeological investigations. EGU General Assembly 2018, European Geosciences Union, Vienna, Austria, 08.-13.04.2018

2016

Hensel, E.A., Kehl, M., Ossendorf, G., Schmidt I. (poster): The Late Pleistocene archaeological sequence at Pockenbank Rock Shelter, Namibia: First insights into site formation processes. 23rd biennial SAfA meeting, Society of Africanist Archaeologists, Toulouse, France, 26.06.-02.07.2016

Hensel, E.A., Bubenzer, O., Kehl, M., Ossendorf, G., Schmidt I. (poster): At the desert’s margin: Site formation processes at the Late Pleistocene archaeological sequence of Pockenbank Rock Shelter. Inside-Outside-Workshop: Integrating Cave and Open-Air Archives, Cologne, Germany, 06.-09.04.2016.

2015

Hensel, E.A., Bubenzer, O., Kehl, M., Schmidt I. (poster): Die Aussagekraft der Sedimente – Geoarchäologische Untersuchungsmethoden zur Sequenz des Pockenbank Rock Shelters, Namibia. Jahrestagung Geographischer Arbeitskreis Subsaharisches Afrika (AKSA), Cologne, Germany, 27.-28.11.2015.

Schmidt, I., Ossendorf, G., Bolten, A., Bubenzer, O., Eichhorn, E., Gwasira, G., Hensel, E., Henselowsky, F., Kehl, M., Rethemeyer, J., Sealy, J., Stengel, I., Tusenius, M. (2015). Late Pleistocene hunter-gatherer networks: subcontinental or regional expressions? - interdisciplinary geoarchaeologcial investigations in south-western Namibia. INQUA 2015, Nagoya, Japan. 26.07.-02.08.2015

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Workshops:

2019

International Workshop on Archaeological Soil Micromorphology, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland, 02.-04.09.2019

2018

International Workshop on Archaeological Soil Micromorphology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium, 01.-03.08.2018

Summer International course on Soils as an archive for natural and cultural change, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany 04.-08.07.2018

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Professional Memberships:

AK Geoarchäologie

Deutsche Quartärvereinigung e.V. (DEUQA)

European Geosciences Union (EGU)

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Participation:

Integrated Research Training Group (IRTG) Graduate School

Graduate School of Geosciences (GSGS)

Cornelia Harte Mentoring MINT (CHM MINT) 2017

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Grants:

2019 Travel Grant of the Graduate School of Geosciences, University of Cologne

2017 Start-up Honours Grant of the Graduate School of Geosciences, University of Cologne