Interview with an Archaeologist: Patrick Biedermann

Meet Patrick Biedermann! He’s an archaeologist at 106 Group. Most of the time you can find him cataloging and analyzing finds in our archaeology lab. But before 106 Group, he was on archaeology digs all over the globe…

Tell Us—Why Archaeology?

After a mandatory military service in Germany, I thought—what actually interests me? What could I actually do as a career? I ended up landing on archaeology. While getting an MA from Frankfurt University, and later working as a Graduate Teaching Fellow at Liverpool, I was able to participate on digs around Europe and the Middle East. Since I specialized on Early Bronze Age, Early Urbanism, and development of religious architecture and practices, I spent a lot of time at excavations in Syria, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Israel, and Iraq.

Name the Most Fun Dig You’ve Been On?

The most fun dig? You know, every project has its own charm and fun experience. Especially when remembering the friendships developed over time, from dig-to-dig. But just purely from location, definitely the excavation at Tell Shikmona in Israel. After work, you can spend time in the ocean with a beer—what’s not to love?

Patrick Biedermann behind a computer, cataloguing and analyzing archaeological artifacts

What’s the Most Interesting Project You’ve Been Involved with at 106 Group?

Since working here, there’s a historic-period project in St. Paul [near the Minnesota State Capitol] we are working on now that is the most interesting project. It’s also a lot closer to my former fieldwork overseas—and there are so many artifacts! This is also 10,000 years younger than my last project in Turkey, or any of my other projects, which were still usually something like 3,0000-1,000 BC. It’s exciting to work on something younger and different.

Lastly, Why Should People Care About Archaeology?

Look at the project I just mentioned. Most people wouldn’t care much or [might] consider the finds garbage because of how recent they are. But archaeology is incredibly important for the next generation. Especially 2-3 generations later, when what was previously deemed as trash is now offering important insight into the stories of people, history, and culture.

Patrick Biedermann

Patrick’s an archaeologist for 106 Group. He has a background in Near Eastern Archaeology, extensive fieldwork experience across diverse locations, and a proven track record of academic research and teaching.

Ben Duckworth

Ben is a proposal writer for 106 Group, with a background in copywriting and professional communications.

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