My research combines the close study of archaeological material with theoretical approaches and the results of scientific techniques to study identity, boundary marking and culture change at various scales. I trace how material culture at the local level impacts on larger-scale, longer-term processes using a wide range of evidence: aDNA and isotope data, mortuary and other ritual practices, human representations, artefact patterning, monumental and domestic architecture,a nd more. Recently, I have mostly focused on migration and on social inequality. With this research, I want to show how the variety of past societies and their development can help us create fairer societies today.

My primary focus is the European Neolithic (mid-6th to mid-3rd millennium), but I am also interested in comparative archaeology and in exploring inter-disciplinary collaboration, for instance between geneticists and archaeologists.

Prior to being appointed in Bergen, I worked at Cardiff University, the University of Oxford and Hamburg University.

For further details, also see my ORCID site.

I accept BA and MA supervisions on any of the following topics: Mesolithic-Neolithic transition; Neolithic archaeology; social archaeology; history of archaeological thought; mortuary archaeology (all periods); structured deposition and the archaeology of ritual; interpreting isotopes and aDNA; hunter-gatherer societies

Vitenskapelig Kapittel/Artikkel/Konferanseartikkel

• Hofmann, Daniela; Mischka, Doris; Scharl, Silviane (2025). The pre-Corded Ware horizon in central Europe and why it matters — an introduction to the volume. (ekstern lenke)
• Hofmann, Daniela (2022). Structured deposition in the Bavarian Münchshöfen Culture – a move towards social inequality?. (ekstern lenke)
• Hofmann, Daniela; Nikulka, Frank; Schumann, Robert (2022). Introduction: the Baltic in the Bronze Age world. (ekstern lenke)
• Bickle, Penny; Hofmann, Daniela (2022). Female mobility patterns in prehistory: patrilocality, descent and kinship oft he Linearbandkeramik (LBK).. (ekstern lenke)
• Hofmann, Daniela; Peeters, Hans; Meyer, Ann-Katrin (2022). Crosstown traffic: contemplating mobility, interaction and migration among foragers and early farmers. (ekstern lenke)
• Hofmann, Daniela (2020). Del barro a la piedra: contraste ente las representaciones antropomorfas en la Europa centro meridional. (ekstern lenke)
• Hofmann, Daniela (2020). LBK structured deposits as magical practices. (ekstern lenke)
• Hofmann, Daniela (2020). Structured deposition in the Linearbandkeramik — is there something to talk about?. (ekstern lenke)
• Hofmann, Daniela; Husty, Ludwig (2019). Enclosures, structured deposits and selective innovations: Riedling and the role of the south Bavarian Münchshöfen culture in the new networks of the late Neolithic. (ekstern lenke)

Vitenskapelig antologi/Konferanseserie

• Hofmann, Daniela; Mischka, Doris; Scharl, Silviane (2025). The eve of destruction? Local groups and large-scale networks during the late fourth and early third millennium BC in central Europe. (ekstern lenke)
• Hofmann, Daniela; Schumann, Robert; Nikulka, Frank (2022). The Baltic in the Bronze Age. Regional patterns, interactions and boundaries. (ekstern lenke)
• Hofmann, Daniela (2020). Magical, mundane or marginal? Deposition practices in the Early Neolithic Linearbandkeramik culture. (ekstern lenke)
• Hofmann, Daniela; Gleser, Ralf (2019). Contacts, boundaries and innovation in the fifth millennium. Exploring developed Neolithic societies in central Europe and beyond. (ekstern lenke)

Innledning

• Cummings, Vicki; Iversen, Rune; Hofmann, Daniela (2025). Introduction: The Early Neolithic of northern Europe. New approaches to migration, movement and social connection. (ekstern lenke)

Vitenskapelig artikkel

• Carlin, Neil; Smyth, Jessica; Frieman, Catherine J. et al. (2025). Social and Genetic Relations in Neolithic Ireland: Re-evaluating Kinship. (ekstern lenke)
• Sørensen, Marie Louise Stig; Hofmann, Daniela; Kristiansen, Kristian et al. (2025). A Framework for Archaeological Involvement with Human Genetic Data for European Prehistory. (ekstern lenke)
• Hofmann, Daniela; Burmeister, Stefan; Furholt, Martin et al. (2025). Ethnicity in European archaeology: revitalizing a concept with the study of migration. (ekstern lenke)
• Bickle, Penny; Hofmann, Daniela; Souvatzi, Stella et al. (2025). Moving to Stay in (a Woman’s) Place: Was Patrilocality the Dominant Mode of Postmarital Residence across Later European Prehistory?. (ekstern lenke)
• Nørtoft, Mikkel; Hofmann, Daniela; Iversen, Rune (2025). Gamifying the Past: Embodied LLMs in DIY Archaeological Video Games. (ekstern lenke)
• Smyth, Jessica; Carlin, Neil; Hofmann, Daniela et al. (2025). The 'king' of Newgrange? A critical analysis of a Neolithic petrous fragment from the passage tomb chamber. (ekstern lenke)
• Orschiedt, Joerg; Hofmann, Daniela; Schulting, Rick et al. (2024). The Tuebingen specimen from Ofnet cave: radiocarbon dating, isotopic analyses and osteological reinvestigation of the skeletal remains housed in the osteological collection Tuebingen. (ekstern lenke)
• Gelabert, Pere; Bickle, Penny; Hofmann, Daniela et al. (2024). Social and genetic diversity in first farmers of central Europe. (ekstern lenke)
• Gaydarska, Bisserka; Rebay-Salisbury, Katharina; Valiente, Paz Ramírez et al. (2023). To Gender or not To Gender? Exploring Gender Variations through Time and Space. (ekstern lenke)
• Dunne, Julie; Szilágyi, Márton; Casanova, Emmanuelle et al. (2023). The Milky Way: Mobility and Economy at the Turn of the 3rd Millennium in Southern Central Europe. (ekstern lenke)
• Nyland, Astrid Johanne; Hofmann, Daniela; Iversen, Rune (2023). The Blurry Third Millennium. "Neolithisation" in a Norwegian Context. (ekstern lenke)
• Cummings, Victoria; Hofmann, Daniela; Bjørnevad-Ahlkvist, Mathias et al. (2022). Muddying the waters: reconsidering migration in the Neolithic of Britain, Ireland and Denmark. (ekstern lenke)
• Perutka, Anna; Schreil, Franziska; Hofmann, Daniela et al. (2021). Conspicuous burials in a Neolithic enclosure at Riedling (Bavaria, Germany) – A selection of individuals?. (ekstern lenke)
• Hofmann, Daniela; Hanscam, Emily; Furholt, Martin et al. (2021). Forum: Populism, Identity Politics, and the Archaeology of Europe. (ekstern lenke)
• Hofmann, Daniela (2020). Not going anywhere? Migration as a social practice in the early Neolithic Linearbandkeramik. (ekstern lenke)
• Frieman, Catherine J; Hofmann, Daniela (2019). Present pasts in the archaeology of genetics, identity and migration in Europe: a critical essay.. (ekstern lenke)
• Bánffy, Eszter; Bayliss, Alex; Denaire, Anthony et al. (2018). Seeking the Holy Grail: robust chronologies from archaeology and radiocarbon dating combined. (ekstern lenke)

Vitenskapelig monografi

• Hofmann, Daniela; Frieman, Catherine J; Furholt, Martin et al. (2024). Negotiating Migrations. The Archaeology and politics of mobility. (ekstern lenke)

Faglig foredrag

• Callanan, Martin; Hofmann, Daniela; Handberg, Søren et al. (2023). Endringer er på vei til arkeologiundervisningen i Norge. (ekstern lenke)
• Nyland, Astrid Johanne; Hofmann, Daniela (2023). Påstander om Migrasjon i Arkeologi: Populærvitenskapelig/ fagformidling på engelsk – og norsk. (ekstern lenke)

Vitenskapelig foredrag

• Nyland, Astrid Johanne; Hofmann, Daniela (2023). Lost in transition? Introducing Neolithic things and practices to southern Norway. (ekstern lenke)

Leserinnlegg

• Hofmann, Daniela; Handberg, Søren; Ebert, Bettina et al. (2023). Arkeologi i ny finansieringsstruktur: Kvalitet er ikke alltid enkelt. (ekstern lenke)

Populærvitenskapelig bok

• Hofmann, Daniela; Frieman, Catherine J; Nyland, Astrid Johanne (2023). Migration narratives in Archaeology. (ekstern lenke)
• Hofmann, Daniela; Frieman, Catherine J; Nyland, Astrid Johanne (2023). Arkeologiske fortellinger om migrasjon. (ekstern lenke)

Populærvitenskapelig kapittel/artikkel

• Hofmann, Daniela; Frieman, Catherine J; Nyland, Astrid Johanne (2023). Migration in the past and present – stereotypes, methods and stories. (ekstern lenke)
• Hofmann, Daniela (2023). Anthropologie, Isotopie und aDNA. (ekstern lenke)
• Hofmann, Daniela; Szilágyi, Márton; Husty, Ludwig (2023). Münchshöfener Grabenwerke mit Deponierungen aus Riedling (Ldkr. Straubing-Bogen). (ekstern lenke)
• Hofmann, Daniela; Bánffy, Eszter; Whittle, Alasdair et al. (2019). Als die Menschen sesshaft wurden. Die Jungsteinzeit in Sued- und Mitteldeutschland. (ekstern lenke)

Populærvitenskapelig artikkel

• Hofmann, Daniela; Husty, Ludwig; Szilagyi, Marton et al. (2019). Riedling – ein spätneolithischer „Schmelztiegel“ in Niederbayern. (ekstern lenke)

Faglig kapittel

• Hofmann, Daniela; Gleser, Ralf (2019). The fifth millennium. The emergence of cultural diversity in central European prehistory. (ekstern lenke)

Anmeldelse

• Hofmann, Daniela (2019). Review of W. Stöckli, Twann: Ausgrabungen 1974-1976, Auswertungen 1976- 1982, Schlussbericht von 1981/1982, Kommentar von 2017. (ekstern lenke)
• Hofmann, Daniela (2019). Review of Stephen Shennan: The first Farmers of Europe. An Evolutionary Perspective.. (ekstern lenke)
• Hofmann, Daniela (2019). Review of David Reich. Who We Are and How We Got Here. Ancient DNA and the New Science of the Human Past. (ekstern lenke)

Se en full oversikt over publikasjoner i Cristin

For a full list of publications, please check my ORCID account

 

The outreach publication Migration narratives in Archaeology can be downloaded for free in English here and in Norwegian here.

Recent and current projects include:

Exploring the archaeological migration narrative: the introduction of farming and animal husbandry in southern Norway - funded by the Centre of Advanced Study (Oslo), the project aims to create an interdisciplinary dialogue to bring the dominant archaeological and archaeogenetic migration narrative up to date with anthropological discourse on human mobilities, identities and social change. Co-PI: Martin Furholt, Oslo. Start: Jund 2022.

Deep histories of migration: exploring the early Neolithic around the North Sea - funded by the DFF, we use social network analysis on material from Britain and southern Scandinavia to investigate how ties established during migration played out over the longer term in the transmission of novelties (focusing on monumental architecture and structured deposition). Co-PIs: Rune Iversen, Copenhagen and Vicky Cummings, UCLan. Start: January 2021.

Culture change, networks and hierarchy: the Münchshöfen culture at the enclosure site of Riedling, Bavaria - funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, this project uses the case study of Riedling to investigate how the large-scale cultural innovations of the later Neolithic resonate with regional identities, and what this means for social change and hierarchisation. Run jointly with Ludwig Husty, Straubing-Bogen. From April 2016 to May 2020.