completed his doctoral studies in prehistoric and protohistoric archaeology in Freiburg im Breisgau in 1970.
From 1971 to 1974 he headed the DFG project Ausgrabung Magdalenenberg [Excavation Magdalenenberg].
From 1974 to 1977 he held the position of assistant professorship for prehistoric and protohistoric archaeology at the University of Regensburg.
After passing his qualification enabling him to teach in higher education, he became academic advisor at the Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg [University of Erlangen-Nuremberg] and from 1980 was appointed professor for prehistoric and protohistoric archaeology.
In 1988 he became fully tenured as a professor at the Institut für Ur- und Frühgeschichte sowie Mittelalter- und Neuzeitarchäologie der Universität Innsbruck
