HEAS Startseite

September 25 @ 09:00

HEAS Workshop: New Methodologies and Perspectives in Palaeolithic Archaeofauna

Archaeofaunal analysis is one of the most relevant and dynamic fields in Palaeolithic research. Over the last decades, the discipline has undergone profound transformations driven by methodological innovations and the integration of biomolecular approaches. These advances have expanded archaeofaunal studies…

November 12 @ 15:30

HEAS Keynote with Aidan O’Sullivan

We are looking forward to welcoming Aidan O’Sullivan from University College Dublin for the HEAS Keynote on Experimental Archaeology: Making, Understanding, Storytelling which will take place online and in-person on the 12th November 2026 at 15:30 in the Theatresaal at…

November 25 @ 00:00

HEAS Workshop at the NHM Wien

Museum-driven research and preservation strategies of heritage objects with nuclear analytical techniques The purpose of this event is to bring together scientists of various disciplines, and career stages, who engage with the research and preservation of heritage objects to provoke…

November 26 @ 10:30

HEAS Talk with Lachie Scarsbrook

We are looking forward to welcoming Lachie Scarsbrook to Vienna for a HEAS Talk on Genomic Insights into the Coevolutionary History of Humans and Dogs on the 26th November 2026 at 10:30 CET in SR 5.1 in the UBB. …

Dezember 1 @ 09:00

HEAS Workshop at the NHM on Mind over matter – The Materiality of Anthropomorphic Figurines

This workshop examines the materiality, production, and cultural significance of prehistoric human figurines, with particular attention to the Upper Palaeolithic „Venus“ figures. Among the earliest known depictions of the human body, these objects were crafted from diverse materials including stone,…

Designing with the Past: Archaeologists and Fashion Students in Creative Dialogue

3. August 2026

By: Karina Grömer and Christina Dörfler What can a 2,700-year-old textile fragment from the salt mine Hallstatt or a bronze belt decorated in “Situla-Style” tell a fashion designer? More than one might expect. At the Natural History Museum Vienna (NHM), [...]

Article

Where Physics, Chemistry and Archaeology Meet: Applications and Case Studies in (p)XRF

24. Juni 2026

By Tabea Truntschnig On the 30th of March 2026, researchers from across the World gathered in Vienna for the second international pXRF conference, Where Physics, Chemistry and Archaeology Meet: Applications and Case Studies in (p)XRF. The conference was organized as [...]

Article

The MicroStratDNA Group visits the ESRF

29. April 2026

By Thomas Beard What is the ESRF?: The European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) is a circular particle accelerator that is capable of a varied range of radiation-based analyses, which in the ESRF’s own words makes it a “giant microscope”. [...]

Article

Lange Nacht der Forschung 2026

27. April 2026

By Dr Emese Végh As a postdoc at the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, I usually spend my days in relatively quiet labs or in front of the computer trying to decipher questions in human evolution and archaeological science. But last [...]

Article

HEAS Members Travel to See the Lucy Skeleton - In Europe for the First Time

10. Oktober 2025

by Prof. Tom Higham, head of HEAS. The visit of the world-famous Lucy skeleton to Prague in October 2025 led to the idea of a HEAS fieldtrip to the Czech Republic. “Lucy” is the remarkably complete Australopithecus afarensis [...]

Article

You, Robot: Experiencing Robotics First-Hand at General Laser

31. August 2025

By: Dominik Hagmann As part of the University of Vienna’s course “AI and Interdisciplinary Research” held at the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology in the summer term of 2025, students from diverse academic fields participated in a hands-on robotics workshop and [...]

Exploring Ancient Foodways - An archaeological journey into Roman dietary habits at Kinderuni Wien 2025

17. Juli 2025

By: Dominik Hagmann and Nisa Kirchengast On Monday, July 7th, we had the delightful opportunity to dive into the fascinating world of Roman cuisine with a group of 50 young explorers at Kinderuni Wien. The session, titled „Römisches Essen: Alles [...]

Article

Round 2 of Geoarchaeology in Vienna: Pushing Borders – Expanding Horizons

13. März 2025

Authors: Valentina Laaha, Thomas Beard, Doris Jetzinger, and Doralice Klainscek From the 12th to the 14th of February 2025, the second edition of the ‘Geoarchaeology in Vienna’ workshop took place at the University of Vienna. It was generously funded [...]

Article

HEAS WELCOMES OUR FIRST JUNIOR INTERN DR BHAVNA AHLAWAT

28. November 2024

Bhavna Ahlawat is our first Junior Intern and is visiting HEAS currently working on exciting new research concerned with biomolecules from ancient Indian sites. I am a molecular biologist specializing in ancient DNA and population genetics, focusing on different archaeological [...]

Article

HEAS Excursion to Hallstatt’s Prehistoric Salt Mine: A Journey Through Time

7. Oktober 2024

On Friday, October 4th, 2024, 17 members of the Human Evolution and Archaeological Science (HEAS) research network from the University of Vienna set off for a remarkable two-day excursion to Hallstatt, a UNESCO World Heritage Site famous for its prehistoric [...]

Article

Creating a brand. Genesis, transformation and diffusion of Qurayyah Painted Ware

Luciani, M., Fragnoli, P., Gilstrap, W.D., Sterba, J.H., Klainscek, D., Greene, J.A., Bourke, S., Donnelly, P., 2026. Creating a brand. Genesis, transformation and diffusion of Qurayyah Painted Ware. PLoS One 21, e0351296. read more

Genomic landscapes of natural selection in great apes

Huang, X., Chen, S., Han, S., Kuhlwilm, M., 2026. Genomic landscapes of natural selection in great apes. Genome Biology. read more

Targeted chromosomal sequencing of wild bonobos identifies a genetically distinct subpopulation east of the Lomami river.

Crego-Walters, M., Cuadros-Espinoza, S., Ruiz-Gartzia, I., Han, S., Hermosilla-Albala, N., Helsen, P., Frandsen, P., Brumwell-Prats, A.M., Alentorn-Moron, P., Fontsere, C., Alvarez-Estape, M., Ngofuna, M., Monghiemo, C., Leendertz, F., Thompson, J., Fasbender, D., Dieguez, P., Lokasola, A.L., Brand, C., Ndjango, J.-B., Georgiev, A.V., Giles, J.A., Liu, W., Li, Y., Sharp, P.M., Pereboom, Z., Andrés, A.M., Kuhlwilm, M., Gronau, I., Kuehl, H., Wessling, E.G., Narat, V., Surbeck, M., Hart, J.A., Hart, T.B., Hvilsom, C., Krützen, M., Stevens, J., Hahn, B.H., Lizano, E., Prado-Martinez, J., Marques-Bonet, T., 2026. Targeted chromosomal sequencing of wild bonobos identifies a genetically distinct subpopulation east of the Lomami river. Genome Biology. read more

The evaluation of facial features as markers of cardiometabolic health in women of post-reproductive age.

Obrochta, W.M., Marcinkowska, U.M., Ball, M.E., Brittain, R.S.A., Galbarczyk, A., Klimek, M., Nenko, I., Stephen, I.D., Windhager, S., Jasienska, G., 2026. The evaluation of facial features as markers of cardiometabolic health in women of post-reproductive age. Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health 14. read more

A New Tablet Weaving Technique from Bronze Age Hallstatt.

Saunderson, K., Zimmermann, A., Grömer, K., 2026. A New Tablet Weaving Technique from Bronze Age Hallstatt. EXARC Journal, 1. read more

Genomic insights into the Iron Age Saka of Boz-Barmak, Kyrgyzstan

Rymbekova, A., Gelabert, P., Llanos-Lizcano, A., Balakrishnan, K., Hämmerle, M., Han, S., Cheronet, O., Abdykanova, A., Kasymkulov, K., Hrivnyak, M., Eng, J.T., Pinhasi, R., Kuhlwilm, M., 2026. Genomic insights into the Iron Age Saka of Boz-Barmak, Kyrgyzstan. Scientific Reports. read more

Paleogenomes reveal the evolutionary relationship between modern and cave lions

Stanton, D.W.G., Bergström, A., Heintzman, P.D., van der Valk, T., Carmagnini, A., Ersmark, E., Pawar, H., Sandoval-Velasco, M., Androsov, S., Fedorov, S., Kuhlwilm, M., Nagel, D., Plotnikov, V., Protopopov, A., Shapiro, B., Barnett, R., Sinding, M.-H.S., Marques-Bonet, T., Yamaguchi, N., Gilbert, M.T.P., Götherström, A., Skoglund, P., Frantz, L., Dalén, L., 2026. Paleogenomes reveal the evolutionary relationship between modern and cave lions. Cell 189, 4425-4436.e4411. read more

Wind(ow) of change: The end of the Middle Stone Age and the beginning of the Later Stone Age at Umhlatuzana rockshelter showcasing concurrent technological and techno-economic shifts.

Schmid, V.C., Sifogeorgaki, I., Abruzzese, T., Blik, S., Huang, L., Dusseldorp, G.L., 2026. Wind(ow) of change: The end of the Middle Stone Age and the beginning of the Later Stone Age at Umhlatuzana rockshelter showcasing concurrent technological and techno-economic shifts. Quaternary Science Reviews 377, 109806. read more

Bone retouchers and end-scrapers side by side at Bushman Rock Shelter: Exploring a ca. 100,000-year-old technological imbrication in southern Africa

Val, A., Tribolo, C., Schmid, V.C., Igreja, M., Texier, P.-J., Mercier, N., Galy, A., Pécheyran, C., Barbotin, G., Porraz, G., 2026. Bone retouchers and end-scrapers side by side at Bushman Rock Shelter: Exploring a ca. 100,000-year-old technological imbrication in southern Africa. Journal of Human Evolution 217, 103845. read more

Faces reveal accurate information about overhand throwing ability in men.

Gallup, A.C., Windhager, S., Eldakar, O.T., 2026. Faces reveal accurate information about overhand throwing ability in men. Animal Behaviour 237, 123621. read more

Grinding and Ancient Lab

VERA

Sample tubes for Zooms

Looking at Lithics

Excavation at Denisova Cave

Genetic data used in computational genomics

Palaeoproteomics Laboratory

Exploring shape patterns of facial form. Windhager et al. 2019

Virtual Anthropology and Geometric Morphometrics

Osteology

Neolithic building floor plans

Publications

Human Evolution and Archaeological Sciences (HEAS)