Hanna Witte-Orr

Johanna Witte-Orr

Independent Scholar

Education

Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Germany (1981-1994):
1994 Ph.D., Archaeology and Art History.
Dissertation: Die Wandmalereien von Karm al-Ahbariya. Malereien des späten 6. Jahrhunderts aus der Umgebung Alexandrias.

1988 M.A., Archaeology and Art History.
Thesis: Der Realitätsgrad spätantiker Darstellungen "historischer" Städte.

Research Fellowships

1989-1991 Research Assistant, Christlich-Archäologisches Seminar, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Germany. Funded by a grant from Deutsche Forschungsgesellschaft.
Research topic: Wallpaintings from the church at Karm al-Ahbariya, Abu Mena/Egypt, especially reconstruction of the image program and its Early Byzantine iconography (infancy and life of Jesus, prophets, life of Constantine the Great).

Archaeological Field Work

The Amorium Excavations Project, Hisarköy, Emirdağ, Afyon/Turkey.
2007 Pottery assistant, with focus on Late Roman pottery.
2006 Brick specialist, pottery assistant, with focus on Late Roman pottery.

2003 Brick specialist, also preparation of various small finds for publication.
2001 Fresco specialist, frescoes and mosaic fragments from the Lower City Church.
2000 Fresco specialist, frescoes from the Lower City Church.

Abu Mina Excavations, Deutsches Archäologisches Institut Abteilung Kairo, Abu Mina/Egypt.
1988-1991, 1997 Specialist for wallpaintings and frescoes, catalogued wallpainting fragments from the church at Karm al-Ahbariya, documented paintings excavated in a chapel within the city limits of Abu Mina as well as other finds.

Römisch-Germanisches Museum Köln, Cologne/Germany.
Student field member, assisted field director in finds processing, context descriptions, drew sections and ground plans.

1985 Georgstrasse.
1984 St. Gereon, narthex area; Laurenzviertel.

Clemens Sels Museum Neuss/Germany.
1982 student intern, assisted curator of Roman art and archaeology and museum educator.

Employment

2007-present Administrative assistant/"regisseur" to pop artist Jörg Döring, Meerbusch, Germany.

1995-1997 Co-owner, Old World Coffeehouse, Burlington, IA. Bookkeeping, planned menus, developed recipes, cooked, and coordinated artists' exhibits.

1987-1988 Teaching assistant, Christlich-Archäologisches Seminar, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Germany. Maintained department library and media collections, operated audiovisual equipment, assisted students and teachers with slide and photo collections.

Membership
Byzantine Studies Conference

Arbeitsgemeinschaft Christliche Archäologie

Publications

Books:
Kirche und Wandmalereien vom Karm al-Ahbariya . JbAC Ergänzungsband 36 (in press).

Chapters in Books:
Technical Study of Frescoes and Mosaics from the Lower City Church , in: C.S. Lightfoot (ed.), Amorium Reports II. Research Papers and Technical Studies. BAR International Series 1170, Oxford 2003, 139-158.

Articles:
Co-author with C.S. Lightfoot, Y. Mergen, and B.Y. Olcay, The Amorium Project: Research and Excavation in 2000, Dumbarton Oaks Papers 57 (2003), 279-292.
Co-author with B. Schellewald, Noah , Reallexikon zur byzantinischen Kunst, 2004, 1028-30.
Co-author with A. Breitenbach, Ketos , Reallexikon für Antike und Christentum XX, 2004, 793-799.

Co-Author with C.S. Lightfoot, Y. Arbel, B. Böhlendorf-Arslan und J.A. Roberts, The Amorium
Project: Research and Excavation in 2001, Dumbarton Oaks Papers 58 (2004) 368-70.

Book reviews:
R. Pillinger, V. Popova, B. Zimmermann, Corpus der spätantiken und frühchristlichen Wandmalereien Bulgariens. Schriften der Balkankommission, Antiquarische Abteilung 21 (Wien, Ö sterreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften 1999), in: Jahrbuch für Antike und Christentum 43, 2000, 245-49.

Conference Papers:
Pastimes in Amorium: Games and Gameboards, Thirty-Second Annual Byzantine Studies Conference, University of Missouri-St. Louis, November 10-12, 2006.

Amorium Bricks and Tiles, First International Symposium on Late Antique, Byzantine, Seljuk, and Ottoman Pottery and Tiles in Archaeological Contexts, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart Üniversitesi, Çanakkale/Turkey 1 - 3 June 2005.

The Mural Decoration of the Lower City Church at Amorium, 28th Annual Byzantine Studies Conference, Ohio State University, Columbus OH, October 4 -6, 2002.

Scenes from the Life of Constantine in the Wallpaintings from Karm al-Ahbariya (Egypt), 24th Annual Byzantine Studies Conference, University of Kentucky Lexington, KY, 5-8 November 1998.

Languages
German and English: fluent.
French, Spanish, Italian: reading level to basic communication.
Dutch: reading level.

Travel
Western, northern and southern Europe, Egypt, Turkey, Azores, and southeastern, southern, and central United States.