Fredrik Hiebert

Fredrik Hiebert has been an archaeologist and explorer with the National Geographic Society since 2003, and he has traced ancient trade routes overland and across the seas for more than 40 years. He has led excavations at ancient sites across Asia, from Egypt to Mongolia, and his excavations at a 4,000-year-old Silk Road city in Turkmenistan made headlines around the world. Dr. Hiebert also conducts underwater archaeology projects in the Black Sea and in South America's highest lake, Lake...See more

Fredrik Hiebert has been an archaeologist and explorer with the National Geographic Society since 2003, and he has traced ancient trade routes overland and across the seas for more than 40 years. He has led excavations at ancient sites across Asia, from Egypt to Mongolia, and his excavations at a 4,000-year-old Silk Road city in Turkmenistan made headlines around the world. Dr. Hiebert also conducts underwater archaeology projects in the Black Sea and in South America's highest lake, Lake Titicaca, in search of submerged settlements. He rediscovered the lost Bactrian gold in Afghanistan in 2004 and was the curator of National Geographic's exhibition Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul, which toured major museums in the United States and internationally. As National Geographic's archaeologist-in-residence, Dr. Hiebert extends enthusiasm for archaeology and the geography of place in lectures, presentations, films and museum exhibits. He was educated at the University of Michigan (B.A., 1984) and Harvard University (M.A., 1989; Ph.D., 1992), and he received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from the State University of New York (SUNY), Geneseo (2016). Prior to joining National Geographic, he held the Robert H. Dyson, Jr., chair of archaeology at the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to numerous media awards for exhibitions and documentaries, Dr. Hiebert received the Chairman's Award from the National Geographic Committee for Research and Exploration in 1998. See less