Autor: Maeve Nic Samhradáin

Publications

Life satisfaction around the world: Measurement invariance of the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) across 65 Nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age groups.

Swami, V., Stieger, S., Voracek, M., Aavik, T., Abdollahpour Ranjbar, H., Adebayo, S.O., Afhami, R., Ahmed, O., Aimé, A., Akel, M., Al Halbusi, H., Alexias, G., Ali, K.F., Alp-Dal, N., Alsalhani, A.B., Álvarez-Solas, S., Amaral, A.C.S., Andrianto, S., Aspden, T., Argyrides, M., Aruta, J.J.B.R., Atkin, S., Ayandele, O., Baceviciene, M., Bahbouh, R., Ballesio, A., Barron, D., Bellard, A., Bender, S.S., Beydaǧ, K.D., Birovljević, G., Blackburn, M.-È., Borja-Alvarez, T., Borowiec, J., Bozogáňová, M., Bratland-Sanda, S., Browning, M.H.E.M., Brytek-Matera, A., Burakova, M., Çakır-Koçak, Y., Camacho, P., Camilleri, V.E., Cazzato, V., Cerea, S., Chaiwutikornwanich, A., Chaleeraktrakoon, T., Chambers, T., Chen, Q.-W., Chen, X., Chien, C.-L., Chobthamkit, P., Choompunuch, B., Compte, E.J., Corrigan, J., Cosmas, G., Cowden, R.G., Czepczor-Bernat, K., Czub, M., da Silva, W.R., Dadfar, M., Dalley, S.E., Dany, L., Datu, J.A.D., de Carvalho, P.H.B., Coelho, G.L.d.H., De Jesus, A.O.S., Debbabi, S.H., Dhakal, S., Di Bernardo, F., Dimitrova, D.D., Dion, J., Dixson, B., Donofrio, S.M., Drysch, M., Du, H., Dzhambov, A.M., El-Jor, C., Enea, V., Eskin, M., Farbod, F., Farrugia, L., Fian, L., Fisher, M.L., Folwarczny, M., Frederick, D.A., Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, M., Furnham, A., García, A.A., Geller, S., Ghisi, M., Ghorbani, A., Gomez Martinez, M.A., Gradidge, S., Graf, S., Grano, C., Gyene, G., Hallit, S., Hamdan, M., Handelzalts, J.E., Hanel, P.H.P., Hawks, S.R., Hekmati, I., Helmy, M., Hill, T., Hina, F., Holenweger, G., Hřebíčková,…

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Punic people were genetically diverse with almost no Levantine ancestors

Ringbauer, H., Salman-Minkov, A., Regev, D., Olalde, I., Peled, T., Sineo, L., Falsone, G., van Dommelen, P., Mittnik, A., Lazaridis, I., Pettener, D., Bofill, M., Mezquida, A., Costa, B., Jiménez, H., Smith, P., Vai, S., Modi, A., Shaus, A., Callan, K., Curtis, E., Kearns, A., Lawson, A.M., Mah, M., Micco, A., Oppenheimer, J., Qiu, L., Stewardson, K., Workman, J.N., Márquez-Grant, N., Sáez Romero, A.M., Lavado Florido, M.L., Jiménez-Arenas, J.M., Toro Moyano, I.J., Viguera, E., Padilla, J.S., Chamizo, S.L., Marques-Bonet, T., Lizano, E., Riaza, A.R., Olivieri, F., Toti, P., Giuliana, V., Barash, A., Carmel, L., Boaretto, E., Faerman, M., Lucci, M., La Pastina, F., Nava, A., Genchi, F., Del Vais, C., Lauria, G., Meli, F., Sconzo, P., Catalano, G., Cilli, E., Fariselli, A.C., Fontani, F., Luiselli, D., Culleton, B.J., Mallick, S., Rohland, N., Nigro, L., Coppa, A., Caramelli, D., Pinhasi, R., Lalueza-Fox, C., Gronau, I., Reich, D., 2025. Punic people were genetically diverse with almost no Levantine ancestors. Nature. read more

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Press

Earliest members of genus Homo may have ditched hard foods on the road to becoming human

Title: Earliest members of genus Homo may have ditched hard foods on the road to becoming human   Subtitle: New study finds Homo habilis was biomechanically limited in producing high bite forces— forcing scientists to re-think the timing of dietary shifts in human evolution   Body: New work by an international team of researchers suggests that the earliest member of the genus Homo, a species known as Homo habilis (“handy man”), was limited in its ability to bite forcefully into hard foods—offering new insights into the dietary and evolutionary shifts that helped shape the human lineage.   The study, published this week in Royal Society Open Science, uses advanced computer simulations to analyze bite force mechanics in Homo habilis. Results show that Homo habilis was structurally constrained in its ability to crunch into hard foods with its molars—a limitation that persists in modern humans.   “Our results point to a fundamental change in feeding behavior with the appearance of Homo habilis,” said Dr. Justin Ledogar, assistant professor in ETSU’s Department of Biomedical Health Sciences and the study’s lead author. “The ability to process exceedingly hard or tough foods with high bite forces was reduced in Homo habilis compared with earlier hominin species.”   The research team created a biomechanical model of the Homo habilis skull and subjected it to simulated…

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A review on Pyrenean Pleistocene leopards paleoecology, paleobiogeography and adaptative convergences with snow leopards.

Prat-Vericat, M., Marciszak, A., Bartolini-Lucenti, S., Fidalgo, D., Rufí, I., Tura-Poch, C., Vizcaíno-Varo, V., Jovells-Vaqué, S., Ramada, N., Díez-Canseco, C., Gelabert, P., Tornero, C., Terradas, X., Rook, L., Madurell-Malapeira, J., 2025. A review on Pyrenean Pleistocene leopards paleoecology, paleobiogeography and adaptative convergences with snow leopards. Quaternary Science Reviews 358, 109327. read more

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HEAS Member Gerhard Weber Featured on Podcast

HEAS Member Gerhard Weber was recently interviewed for a popular german language podcast on, among other things, the origin of the human species and the development of the human brain over the course of evolution. Is our brain getting bigger? Are we on the verge of a leap in our biological evolution? You can listen to the podcast on the following links: www.dguz.at Podigee-Blog: https://dguz.podigee.io/ Spotify https://open.spotify.com/episode/0fn6MzZ9RdGWK8HOH8UaSj?si=0c55549b32094eee Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/at/podcast/die-geschichte-unserer-zukunft/id1800278307?i=1000703155950

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HEAS Deputy Head Promotes Archaeological Publications in Vienna

HEAS deputy head Barbara Horejs has developed a temporary focus on archaeology with the bookshop musette shop (Neubaugasse 72, 1070 Vienna), which will run for several months from the 29th April 2025. For three months, the acclaimed bookshop will have a focus on Archaeology for their book and object selection. More information on their website https://www.musetteshop.com/

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A short and sickly life. Multi-indicator analysis of an infant from a late antique Italian burial site (Piano della Civita, Artena, 3rd-5th cent CE).

Cecconi, V., Nava, A., Lugli, F., Mittnik, A., Sawyer, S., Gadeyne, J., Brouillard, C., Pinhasi, R., Reich, D., Sperduti, A., 2025. A short and sickly life. Multi-indicator analysis of an infant from a late antique Italian burial site (Piano della Civita, Artena, 3rd-5th cent CE). International Journal of Paleopathology 49, 93-103. read more

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Fire Use During the Last Glacial Maximum: Evidence From the Epigravettian at Korman‘ 9, Middle Dniester Valley, Ukraine

Murphree, W.C., Ferro-Vázquez, C., Kulakovska, L., Usyk, V.I., Kononenko, O., Bosch, M.D., Haesaerts, P., Damblon, F., Pirson, S., Nigst, P.R., Aldeias, V., 2025. Fire Use During the Last Glacial Maximum: Evidence From the Epigravettian at Korman' 9, Middle Dniester Valley, Ukraine. Geoarchaeology 40, e70006. read more

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New Paper Published!

HEAS members Philip R. Nigst and Marjolein D. Bosch published new paper on Fire Use during the Last Glacial Maximum at Korman' 9, Ukraine We are very pleased to announce our latest publication on our research on fire use and combustion activties during the Last Glacial Maximum in collaboration with William Chase Murphree, University of Algrave (Faro, Portugal). We analysed three combustion features at the Epigravettian site of Korman' 9 in the Middle Dnister valley, Ukraine. Our paper was published in Geoarchaeology. Open-access. The Last Glacial maximum (LGM), spanning from 26.5 to 19 thousand years before present (ka BP), is a period of extreme climatic degradation associated with reduced biomass production and resource stress throughout Eurasia. Arguably, one of the most fundamental tools for human survival during this cold and arid period was the ability to create, maintain and use fire. While fire is widely considered a ubiquitous tool in modern human behaviour, there are surprisingly few well‐described combustion features during the LGM in Europe. In this paper, we provide high‐resolution geoarchaeological research into three combustion features associated with Epigravettian occupations at the site of Korman' 9 (Ukraine) with ages falling in the LGM. Our results show distinct variations in the size and structure of the combustion features, potentially indicating multiple occupations within the same layer or reflect differences in…

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HEAS Seed Grants February 2025 Round

We are delighted to announce the results of the HEAS Seed Grants February 2025 round.   They are: AI-Assisted Full-Spectrum p-XRF Analysis: A New Approach to Decoding Graphite Provenance Michaela Schauer and Georg Tiefengraber Refining dentine extraction methods for detecting metabolites indicative of tobacco use in archaeological teeth Leslie Quade, Laura van der Sluis , Manasij Pal Chowdhury,  Thomas Köcher Genetic Excavation of Pathogens: Insights from the Bürgerspital Cesspit (17th-18th Century Vienna) Sojung Han, Ron Pinhasi,  Andreas G. Heiss More information on the HEAS Seed Grants can be found here: https://www.heas.at/research/seed-grants/    

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OeAW Early Career Researchers Visit the UBB

We were very happy to welcome a group of early career researchers from the OeAW from the HEAS Partner Insitute the ÖAW to the University of Vienna Biology building (the UBB). The group had a tour of the UBB followed by a tour of the Vienna Micro-CT Lab by Gerhard Weber, a tour of the Higham and Douka labs by Tom Higham and of the Pinhasi Lab by Olivia Cheronet. We were happy to have such an enthuastic group visit us and we hope to have a lot more fruitful meetings in the future.    

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HEAS Member Magdalena Blanz receives an FWF Erwin Schrödinger Grant to research compound-specific stable isotope ratios

HEAS Member Magdalena Blanz (Vienna Institute for Archaeological Science and Austrian Archaeological Institute) was awarded an FWF Erwin Schrödinger grant to study compound-specific stable isotope ratios in bone collagen and plants for improved dietary modelling. FWF Erwin Schrödinger grants are awarded to highly qualified early-career postdocs to pursue career-enhancing stays at internationally renowned research institutions, and also provides them with support after their return to Austria.   Amino acid isotope ratios to explore past plant consumption Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) of bone collagen are frequently used to reconstruct past diets. However, bulk analyses of all extracted collagen suffer greatly from equifinality, whereby very different diets can result in the same bulk δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values. By separating collagen (a protein) into its constituent amino acids, and separately analysing the δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values of specific amino acids, much more nuanced palaeodietary information can be gained. In her Schrödinger project, Magdalena Blanz will be hosted at the University of Oxford, working with Prof. Amy Styring (Head of the Stable Isotope Ratio Laboratory) to gain more information has to how amino acid δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values reflect past diets. On her return to Vienna, she will be working at the Vienna Institute for Archaeological Science in collaboration with Univ.-Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Wanek.   Magdalena Blanz obtained a…

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HEAS Member Barbara Horejs interviewed on Austrian radio on Archaeogenetics

HEAS deputy head Barbara Horejs was recently interviewed on Austrian National Radio on Archaeogenetics. Show description: Genetics is becoming an important tool for archaeologists and historians, especially when looking far back into history. In recent years, science has frequently generated interest with new news about prehistory and early history. For example, the history of the spread of agriculture to Europe 8,000 years ago had to be rewritten. This was made possible by the introduction of genetics into archaeology. Archaeogenetics has repeatedly produced new methods in recent years: Today, DNA can be extracted from bone surfaces without drilling into the bones, or DNA can be analyzed from sediments – without bones at all. History has also recently begun using genetics, gaining new insights, for example, into the migration of peoples in the middle of the first millennium AD.   Listen Here (in German): https://oe1.orf.at/player/20250311/788102

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HEAS Members Ron Pinhasi and Olivia Cheronet Publish Nature Paper on Unraveling the eastern Maghreb’s Ancient DNA

HEAS members Ron Pinhasi and Olivia Cheronet et al. published a paper in Nature on High continuity of forager ancestry in the Neolithic period of the eastern Maghreb. The study published in Nature and co-led by Ron Pinhasi, University of Vienna, David Reich and Mark Lipson, Harvard Medical School, Alfredo Coppa, Sapienza University of Rome, and Giulio Lucarini, National Research Council of Italy, analyzed genome-wide data for nine individuals from the Later Stone Age through the Neolithic period from the eastern Maghreb (Algeria and Tunisia). Their results challenge the assumption that the region was merely a passive recipient of Neolithic influences - instead, they identified a striking pattern of continuity. Read More   https://www.heas.at/research/publications/high-continuity-of-forager-ancestry-in-the-neolithic-period-of-the-eastern-maghreb/

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Blog Posts

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

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 by the HEAS research network and a joint events grant from the Doctoral School of Historical and Cultural Studies and the Vienna Doctoral School of Ecology and Evolution. We organised this event because in geoarchaeology, as it is very interdisciplinary and uses a wide variety of different methods from different fields, many geoarchaeologists would otherwise never meet at the same place or conference. Therefore this event was aimed at getting to know each other and the geoarchaeological research ongoing in Austria and beyond, as last year´s workshop started a network for all geoarchaeologists and those interested in the parallel branches. We were also pleased to further establish collaborations, after noting some that have developed after our initial event. You can find the booklet with the workshop programme as well as the presentation and poster abstracts for this year’s event here. Geoarchaeology in Vienna Booklet You can read about the first workshop and the network in our blog here. The 2025  workshop was conceived and organised by Doris Jetzinger, Thomas Beard,  Valentina Laaha, and Doralice Klainscek, all students from different departments…

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Allgemein Publications

High continuity of forager ancestry in the Neolithic period of the eastern Maghreb

Lipson, M., Ringbauer, H., Lucarini, G., Aouadi, N., Aoudia, L., Belhouchet, L., Cheronet, O., Dahmani, A.-R., Genchi, F., La Pastina, F., Lucci, M., de Lumley, H., Mansouri, N., Nava, A., Touj, F., Mallick, S., Rohland, N., Coppa, A., Pinhasi, R., Reich, D., 2025. High continuity of forager ancestry in the Neolithic period of the eastern Maghreb. Nature. read more

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The Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) Vienna Institute for Archaeological Science (VIAS) Members

Magdalena BLANZ

I am a postdoctoral researcher at the Vienna Institute for Archaeological Science (VIAS) and the Austrian Archaeological Institute, where I work on stable isotope ratios of bioarchaeological remains. Originally trained as an environmental analytical chemist, my interests have always been in analysing archaeological remains. For my PhD I focussed on the identification and interpretation of seaweed consumption by terrestrial mammals in archaeological contexts. During my postdoc, I am researching the first introductions of domesticated animals and plants into Europe, focussing on dietary patterns and plant growth conditions. I am particularly interested in method development and acquiring modern reference data for stable isotope ratio studies.

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Marjolein D. BOSCH

I am a Palaeolithic zooarchaeologist investigating a range of hominin behaviours through the lens of zooarchaeology including, organic technology, habitat exploitation, mobility and subsistence strategies. I am a post-doctoral researcher in the Department of Prehistoric and Historical Archaeology at the University of Vienna and an associated scientist at the Austrian Archaeological Institute and the NHM Vienna. After formal training in zooarchaeology at Leiden University, I have specialised in human-animal interactions and dietary adaptation across East Africa, the Eastern Mediterranean and Europe throughout the Pleistocene. My research further focusses on innovative ways to study organic technology including beads and personal ornaments, domestic tools and projectile technology. I obtained my PhD at the Max Plank Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig and Leiden University and held post-doc positions at Cambridge University and the Austrian Academy of Sciences.  

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HEAS Member Karina Grömer to be interviewed on Austrian National Radio (ORF) on the 7th March

HEAS Member Karina Grömer be on the O1 radio show “im Gespräch” on March 7 at 16:05. It is a 50-minute program that was created entirely with her: https://oe1.orf.at/programm/20250307/787910/Karina-Groemer-Archaeologie-ist-faszinierend   She will be talking about archaeology and archaeological research and the creator of the program, Andreas Obrecht, also interviewed her with regards to International Women's Day.   The program will be repeated on 13.3. at 21h: Karina Grömer, Textilarchäologin und Direktorin der Prähistorischen Abteilung des Naturhistorischen Museums Wien | DO | 13 03 2025 | 21:00 - oe1.ORF.at      

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Women in Prehistory talk by HEAS Members

Katharina Rebay-Salisbury and Barbara Horejs are organizing the opening of the Archaeo-Sexism exhibition on the 6th March with a talk on “Women in Prehistory” (in German) The exhibition will be on for two weeks: https://uha.univie.ac.at/news-events/ausstellung-archaeo-sexismus/ More information: https://uha.univie.ac.at/news-events/einzelseite/news/weltfrauentag-frauen-in-der-urgeschichte/        

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HEAS Members successfully complete their PhDs

We are very happy to celebrate the achievements of our HEAS PhD candidates. In the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology alone we have had three defenses in the past few months with one more due to take place in the coming months. Constanze Schattke is currently in the last stages and wrapping up her PhD, aiming for her defense to take place later this year/ summer. It is about violence in osteological human remains collections in museums.  Supervisors are Sabine Eggers (NHM Wien) and Harald Wilfing (Uni Wien). Victoria Oberreiter's defense was on Dec 18th and the title of her thesis is „Mineralogical Preservation of the Human Biome from the Depth of Time“, supervised by Ron Pinhasi and Thomas Rattei. Dr Oberreiter is currently working at the Genetics Lab at VetMed having previously hosted and produced the HEAS Podcast. Petra Šimková defended her theis on the 21st October 2024. The title of her thesis was Morphological variation and covariation in the human postcanine dentition. Her supervisor was Gerhard Weber. Dr Šimková is now working on an FWF Project on 3D morphology of human permanent and deciduous dentition Brina Zagorc 's defense was on the 7th January 2025 and her thesis title was: Tracing Life in Antiquity and Early Medieval Times: Paleogenomics, Dietary Stable Isotopes and Bioarchaeological Approaches in Central European Populations …

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Department of Evolutionary Anthropology (DEA) Members

Olivia CHERONET

I am a post-doctoral researcher in the department of Evolutionary Anthropology at the University of Vienna, and the lab manager of Ron Pinhasi's ancient DNA lab. Following an undergraduate training in Paleobiology and a PhD in physical anthropology, I have a particular interest in using this knowledge to improve and optimise ancient DNA sampling methods, by making them more efficient and less destructive to invaluable archaeological skeletons.

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The Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) Members

Jessica Mendes CARDOSO

She holds a doctorate in Archaeology from the University of São Paulo, Brazil, and a doctorate in Geosciences from the University of Toulouse, France. Her research focused on the geochemical applications of isotope analysis in archaeological materials, primarily human and faunal bones and teeth, to reconstruct diet and determine the geological provenance of pre-colonial coastal Brazilian populations. She has extensive experience in zooarchaeology, particularly in South American Brazilian shellmounds, which was the focus of her bachelor's and master's research. She has worked as an archaeologist in several preventive archaeology projects, gaining experience in both field and laboratory work, as well as cultural heritage education. She was also one of the creators of Sambaquis: A History Before Brazil, the first Brazilian archaeology-themed game. Currently, she is a postdoctoral researcher in the ERC Starting Grant HUE project, working in the new geochemical laboratory with mass spectrometry and isotope analysis of ancient pigments.

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New Publication: Exploring Roman Frontier Mobility with GIS and Network Analysis

We are pleased to announce the publication of the new research article “I Walk an Ancient Road: A Straightforward Methodology for Analyzing Intra- and Inter-Regional Connectivity Systems along Roman Frontier Zones (c. 1st–5th century AD)” by Dominik Hagmann in the Journal of Archaeological Science: This study presents an innovative methodology for reconstructing ancient road networks in Roman hinterlands, focusing on the Danube Limes in Northern Noricum (modern Austria). By integrating Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Least-Cost Analysis (LCA), Spatial Social Network Analysis (SSNA), and Visibility Analysis (VA), the research uncovers patterns of movement and connectivity between military, economic, and civilian sites along the Roman frontier. Key findings include: A detailed reconstruction of potential Roman roads and transportation networks in the hinterland of the Danube frontier. Insights into how military logistics, trade, and settlement patterns were influenced by infrastructure. Methodological advancements for applying digital archaeology, computational modeling, and open data in Roman studies. This approach enhances our understanding of mobility in ancient borderlands and offers a scalable method for future research on historical transportation networks. For more details, read the full article here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2024.106151   [caption id="attachment_4311" align="alignnone" width="300"] Fig. A schematic workflow illustrating the methodology for analyzing connectivity in Roman frontier hinterlands using spatial, least-cost, visibility, and social network approaches.[/caption]   https://www.heas.at/research/publications/i-walk-an-ancient-road-a-straightforward-methodology-for-analyzing-intra-and-inter-regional-connectivity-systems-along-roman-frontier-zones-c-1st-5th-century-ad/

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A First Look at the Gravettian Open-Air Site Ollersdorf-Heidenberg (Austria): Recent Fieldwork and First Results on Stratigraphy, Chronology, Organic Preservation and Combustion Activity

Bosch, M.D., Pirson, S., Damblon, F., Jambrina-Enríquez, M., Mallol, C., Pryor, A., Murphree, W.C., Viola, B.T., Antl-Weiser, W., Nigst, P.R., 2025. A First Look at the Gravettian Open-Air Site Ollersdorf-Heidenberg (Austria): Recent Fieldwork and First Results on Stratigraphy, Chronology, Organic Preservation and Combustion Activity. Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology 8, 10. read more

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HEAS Member Publishes Article on the Gravettian Open-Air Site Ollersdorf-Heidenberg (Austria)

In a new study in Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology, HEAS member Philip R. Nigst together with an international team, presents on their fieldwork and laboratory research at Ollersdorf-Heidenberg, an Upper Palaeolithic open-air site in Lower Austria. The site was dated to the time leading up to the Last Glacial Maximum. The Middle Danube region is a key area for understanding Upper Palaeolithic hunter-gatherer behaviours in a climatic context due to its long loess–palaeosol sequences and rich archaeological record spanning from the onset of the Upper Palaeolithic to the Last Glacial Maximum and beyond. Recently, new approaches focusing on high-resolution studies of the stratigraphy, geoarchaeological studies at microscopic scale and investigations of organic matter at molecular scale (biomarker analyses) have shown great new insights in human behaviour. Many sites in the Middle Danube region have been excavated a long time ago without opportunity to apply such approaches. The aim of this paper is to introduce Ollersdorf-Heidenberg, a loess open-air site. The site is located ~ 26 km northeast of Vienna close to the Morava River valley and preserves several Upper Palaeolithic archaeological horizons. The site has been known since a pipeline construction in 1998. Here, we report the first results of new research at the site including new excavations in two trenches. We describe and analyse the stratigraphy, present a first radiocarbon date,…

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Cleopatra’s sister remains missing

CSI methods show: Skull from the collection of the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology is not from Arsinoë IV An interdisciplinary research team led by anthropologist Gerhard Weber from the University of Vienna, together with experts from the Austrian Academy of Sciences, has analysed a skull that was found in the ruins of Ephesos (Turkey) in 1929. It was long speculated that it could be the remains of Arsinoë IV, the sister of the famous Cleopatra. However, the latest anthropological analyses show that the remains are those of a boy between the ages of 11 and 14 who suffered from pathological developmental disorders. His genes point to an origin in Italy or Sardinia. The results are currently being published in Scientific Reports. In 1929, the Austrian archaeologist Josef Keil and his colleagues discovered a sarcophagus completely filled with water in the ruins of the once magnificent "Octagon", a splendid building on the main street of Ephesos (Turkey). No significant grave goods were found in it, but a complete skeleton. Josef Keil only took the skull with him before the researchers closed the tomb on the important "Curetes Street" (Kuretenstraße) again. After his initial analysis in Greifswald (Germany), he assumed that the burial was that of "a very distinguished person" and probably a 20-year-old woman. Keil was unable to provide any hard…

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HEAS Team Prove Skull from the collection of the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology is not from Arsinoë IV

A HEAS Team, led by Gerhard Weber, recently published a paper in Scientific Reports on a comprehensive analysis of a cranium found in Octagon in Ephesos. This was speculated to belong to Arsinoë IV, daughter of Ptolemy XII, and younger (half-)sister of Cleopatra VII. The analyses, however, show that these remains, stored in the collection of the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, belong to a boy between the ages of 11 and 14 who suffered from pathological developmental disorders.   This was one of the first true HEAS joint publications with an involvement of many members and workgroups through HEAS. More information: https://www.heas.at/research/publications/the-cranium-from-the-octagon-in-ephesos/ https://www.heas.at/press/cleopatras-sister-remains-missing/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbrYTEBBYwA   https://medienportal.univie.ac.at/en/media/recent-press-releases/detailansicht-en/artikel/cleopatras-sister-remains-missing/      

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Manasij Pal CHOWDHURY

I am an archaeological scientist specialising in paleoproteomics, primarily focusing on the recovery and analysis of proteins from archaeological bones and ceramic remains. I am interested in the use of proteomics to understand a range of archaeological questions, including faunal identification, the exploitation of various natural resources, ancient diet and diseases, and how ancient diet and patterns in resource consumption can be used to study socio-economic stratification and various forms of inequality and social structure in antiquity. I am also interested in the various post-translational modifications in proteins as a result of the various diagenetic processes involved, and the study of the fundamental processes involved in the preservation of proteins in archaeological substrates. A chemist by training, I graduated from St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi with a BSc Hons. degree in Chemistry and was awarded a MSc in Chemistry from The University of Manchester. In 2023, I completed my PhD in Bioarchaeology from the University of Manchester, and am currently a postdoctoral researcher in the Douka Paleoproteomics and ZooMS laboratory in the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology at the University of Vienna.

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Renewed impetus for Stone Age research in the eastern Free State (South Africa) centred on Rose Cottage Cave

Schmid, V.C., Wadley, L., Brandl, M., Guillemard, I., Rhodes, S.E., Taipale, N., Witelson, D.M., Börner, M., Cnuts, D., Hodgskiss, T., Murungi, M., Nigst, P.R., Porraz, G., Puech, E., Rots, V., Stahlschmidt, M.C., Stelzer, S., Teyssandier, N., Tribolo, C., Val, A., van Schalkwyk, L., Archer, W., 2024. Renewed impetus for Stone Age research in the eastern Free State (South Africa) centred on Rose Cottage Cave. South African Archaeological Bulletin 79, 105. read more

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Portable X-Ray Fluorescence (p-XRF) Colloquia Series – First lecture on 12th of February

The Global p-XRF Network (GopXRF.net) initiated by HEAS-member Michaela Schauer (VIAS) and the European Academy of Sciences & Arts/STEMAC Expert Group represented by Ioannis Liritzis, are organising a series of online colloquia to explore the use of portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) in archaeology and cultural heritage. Since its introduction in the 1950s, pXRF has evolved from bulky, radioactive instruments to compact, handheld devices, now widely used across multiple industries. Despite these advancements, challenges remain in defining standards for accuracy, precision, and guidelines for archaeological and cultural heritage applications. The colloquia aim to provide a platform for knowledge exchange, offering expert presentations from both natural sciences and humanities. Each session includes 30-minute talks by specialists from archaeology and natural sciences, followed by a 30-minute discussion. The first lecture of the series is scheduled for 12th of February 2025 from 06:00–07:30 pm CET. Sofia Soares (with Teresa Pena and Patrícia Jodão) will present on the topic Which Rock is This? - Challenges for pXRF Studies in Raw Material Provenance Michelle Richards will be discussing pXRF for Geochemical Rock Classification in Archaeometry: A Pacific Case Study Interested participants are invited to join the lecture and share this information with their peers! The Zoom room can be accessed here. More information about the colloquium series is available on the networks website and the EASA website.…

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Ancient DNA reveals reproductive barrier despite shared Avar-period culture

Wang, K., Tobias, B., Pany-Kucera, D., Berner, M., Eggers, S., Gnecchi-Ruscone, G.A., Zlámalová, D., Gretzinger, J., Ingrová, P., Rohrlach, A.B., Tuke, J., Traverso, L., Klostermann, P., Koger, R., Friedrich, R., Wiltschke-Schrotta, K., Kirchengast, S., Liccardo, S., Wabnitz, S., Vida, T., Geary, P.J., Daim, F., Pohl, W., Krause, J., Hofmanová, Z., 2025. Ancient DNA reveals reproductive barrier despite shared Avar-period culture. Nature. read more

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Vienna Institute for Archaeological Science (VIAS) Members

Martin FERA

I specialize in archaeological prospection and cultural heritage documentation, with extensive experience in interdisciplinary projects across Europe and North Africa. My roles include serving as technical field director for the long-term VIAS project at the Bronze and Iron Age settlement in Schwarzenbach and overseeing fieldwork at a New Kingdom pharaonic town and cemetery on Sai Island, Sudan.   In international collaborations, I have contributed to pioneering new methods in landscape archaeology, focusing on remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS). I aim to integrate geoarchaeological methods, bridging the micro and macro scales from landscape analysis to detailed excavation work. As a lecturer at the University of Vienna, I teach courses in geomatics and data management, equipping students with essential skills for modern archaeological research.

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