����Vlog�ٷ� Cambridge: Dr Noah Steuri

Position Governing Body Fellow Junior Research Fellow
School Humanities and Social Sciences
Email ns869@cam.ac.uk
Department link

Noah Steuri is a Swiss prehistoric archaeologist. His research focuses on Neolithic burial practices and megalithic structures, employing innovative methods like Virtual Reality and bioarchaeological insights to uncover new perspectives on prehistoric rituals and community interactions in Alpine and Western European contexts.

Noah's dissertation at the Institute of Archaeological Sciences at the University of Bern (Switzerland), conducted in collaboration with the Universities of Geneva (Switzerland) and Cambridge (UK), was funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF). It focused on Neolithic graves and burial practices in the Alps of Switzerland, France, and Italy, addressing longstanding research gaps and providing new chronological insights, revealing crucial data about interactions of Alpine Neolithic communities. For this, he was awarded the University of Bern's prize for the best PhD thesis in the Humanities for the 2023–2024 academic year.

In addition, Noah is the archaeological partner of an ongoing SNSF research project at the University of Bern's Department of Forensics, focusing on ancient DNA and isotope analyses of the human bone samples he extracted in the context of his dissertation. He has also been awarded a Swiss Polar Institute (SPI) grant to conduct an archaeological field project in northern Alaska (USA). Steuri’s research and innovative approaches aim to advance our understanding of prehistoric human societies and their ritual practices, particularly in the context of mountainous and Arctic settings.

Noah's interest in integrating Virtual Reality into the analysis of prehistoric human-made structures earned him a grant from the SNSF, which fully funded his postdoctoral project "Experiencing monuments. Visualization of Western European prehistoric megalithic structures". It is based at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research and the Cambridge Open Reality and Visual AI Laboratory of the University of Cambridge (UK), where he aims to further develop this cutting-edge methodology covering various megalithic monuments throughout four study regions in Western Europe, from the Iberian Peninsula to Southern Scandinavia. He aims to reveal potential intended impacts on prehistoric viewers by offering first-person experiences of materials and architectural features (e.g. the colors of used stones, or confined spaces demanding specific postures). Noah sees interpretative advantages by visualizing and testing hypotheses, providing immersive context, and replicating possible visual experiences (e.g. simulating fire or smoke).

He additionally produces the podcast “Archaeological Context” at the Archaeology Podcast Network (APN), which covers research from around the globe, going beyond mere objects and excavations to uncover the rich cultural and scientific contexts behind archaeological discoveries. With overviews based on published research and conversations with leading experts, this podcast offers a fresh perspective on our shared and diverse cultural heritage.