Call for Papers! The Journal of Archaeological Science
HEAS Member Pamela Fragnoli and colleagues from OeAI-OeAW are co-editing a special issue on JAS: reports. For more information and submission details, please click here
News
Autor: Maeve Nic Samhradáin
News
HEAS in the News : HEAS Member Verena Schünemann awarded an ERC Consolidator Grant
Congratulations to HEAS member Verena Schünemann on being awarded the ERC Consolidator Grant for "Revealing evolutionary systems behind epidemic reservoirs of infectious, reemerging diseases'. More information here
Publications
Perception of strength, attractiveness and aggressiveness of Maasai male faces calibrated to handgrip strength: Evidence from a European sample
Windhager, S., Ottendorfer, T., Mabulla, A., Butovskaya, M., Fink, B., & Schaefer, K. (2023). Perception of strength, attractiveness and aggressiveness of Maasai male faces calibrated to handgrip strength: Evidence from a European sample. American Journal of Human Biology, e23869. read more
News
HEAS in the News: HEAS Deputy Head Tom Higham interviewed for ORF
HEAS Deputy Head Tom Higham was interviewed by the Austrian state broadcaster ORF about his recent Nature paper on 'A symbolic Neanderthal accumulation of large herbivore crania'. Read full article (in German) here Link to paper
Publications
A symbolic Neanderthal accumulation of large herbivore crania
Baquedano, E., Arsuaga, J.L., Pérez-González, A., Laplana, C., Márquez, B., Huguet, R., Gómez-Soler, S., Villaescusa, L., Galindo-Pellicena, M.Á., Rodríguez, L., García-González, R., Ortega, M.C., Martín-Perea, D.M., Ortega, A.I., Hernández-Vivanco, L., Ruiz-Liso, G., Gómez-Hernanz, J., Alonso-Martín, J.I., Abrunhosa, A., Moclán, A., Casado, A.I., Vegara-Riquelme, M., Álvarez-Fernández, A., Domínguez-García, Á.C., Álvarez-Lao, D.J., García, N., Sevilla, P., Blain, H.-A., Ruiz-Zapata, B., Gil-García, M.J., Álvarez-Vena, A., Sanz, T., Quam, R., Higham, T., 2023. A symbolic Neanderthal accumulation of large herbivore crania. Nature Human Behaviour. read more
News
HEAS in the News: HEAS PI Thomas Einwögerer on attempts to decipher Stone Age codes next to Cave Art.
Thomas Einwögerer, HEAS PI and leader of the The Quaternary archeology research group of the Austrian Archaeological Institute (ÖAI) of the Academy of Sciences (ÖAW), spoke to the Austrian newspaper Der Standard about the attempts to interpret Stone Age symbols in Cave Art. Read full article (In German) here
News
Conceptualising (More-Than-) Human Communities in Archaeology with Oliver Harris
The Institute of Classical Archaeology are hosting two events with Oliver Harris in January 2023. 1. Conceptualising (More-Than-) Human Communities in Archaeology Workshop with Oliver Harris 9 January 2023, 13.15–14.45 | Institute of Classical Archaeology. Discussion OJT Harris_IKA Vienna 2023_poster 2. Evening panel discussion, Monday, January 9th, 2023 05:00–06:30 p.m. with Oliver Harris, Katharina Rebay-Salisbury and Uroš Matić. ! More information here <https://klass-archaeologie.univie.ac.at/news-events/einzelansicht/news/panel-discussion-what-is-the-future-of-archaeological-theory/?tx_news_pi1%5Bcontroller%5D=News&tx_news_pi1%5Baction%5D=detail&cHash=93de03e957a4d495bc0bca2d1c4335f1>
News
Einladung: Pan-Archaeology Lecture: Kerstin P. Hofmann “Archäologie und Übersetzen. Grenzen überqueren und Verbindungen herstellen”
Die archäologischen Institute der Universität Wien sind führend in verschiedenen Feldern der archäologischen Forschung und Praxis – ob nun bei der Erforschung der menschlichen Evolution oder der Untersuchung antiker Bildwerke, ob bei Methoden der archäologischen Prospektion oder der Digitalisierung historischer Sammlungen. Die „Pan-Archaeology Lecture“ soll diese Vielfalt der archäologischen Institute in Wien hochleben lassen. Wir laden Sie herzlich dazu ein, mit uns zu feiern! From investigating human evolution to discovering new works of ancient art, and from high-tech archaeological prospection to innovative work digitalising historic collections, the various archaeological institutes of the University of Vienna are at the cutting edge of archaeological research and practice. The Pan-Archaeology lecture celebrates the diversity of the University of Vienna’s archaeological institutes. We invite you to celebrate with us! Donnerstag, 26. Januar 2023 18:00–19:30 Uhr 1090 Wien, Oscar-Morgenstern-Platz 1, SkyLounge Archäologie und Übersetzen. Grenzen überqueren und Verbindungen herstellen Kerstin P. HOFMANN (Römisch-Germanische Kommission, Deutsches Archäologisches Institut) Archäologie setzt sich mit unterschiedlichen Arten von Grenzen und deren Überquerungen auseinander, dabei kann sie immer wieder Verbindungen aufzeigen oder auch herstellen. Sie profitiert von konstruktiver Zusammenarbeit und agiert auf vielerlei Gebieten als Übersetzerin. Anhand verschiedener aktueller Themen und Forschungen der Römisch-Germanischen Kommission zu sozio-kulturellen Interaktionen, sozial-ökologischen Prozessen sowie der digitalen Transformation sollen damit verknüpfte Fragen nach (Dis-)Konnektivitäten und (Dis-)Kontinuitäten aufgegriffen werden. Als Fallstudien dienen hierfür u. a.…
Vienna Institute for Archaeological Science (VIAS) Members
Magdalena BLANZ
Trained as an environmental analytical chemist, I am now studying the past using stable isotope ratio and trace element analysis of bioarchaeological remains and present-day analogues. Currently, I am researching the first introductions of domesticated animals beyond their semi-arid ecological homelands in southwest Asia into new environments in Europe with Maria Ivanova-Bieg. For my PhD I focussed on the identification and interpretation of seaweed consumption by terrestrial mammals
Blog Posts
Ancient Textile Production from an Interdisciplinary Approach: Humanities and Natural Sciences Interwoven for our Understanding of Textiles. By Karina Grömer
For decades, textile remains from archaeological contexts have come more and more into the focus of archaeological research. Recently, the book Ancient Textile Production from an Interdisciplinary Approach: Humanities and Natural Sciences Interwoven for our Understanding of Textiles, edited by Agata Ulanowska, Karina Grömer, Ina Vanden Berghe and Magdalena Öhrmann was published in the Springer’s series “Interdisciplinary Contributions to Archaeology” (2022). It derived from a session held at the European Archaeologists Association Conference in Bern 2019. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-92170-5 The motivation of the book is to improve the understanding of the role of textile production and textile products in the history of humankind. Embedding finds and their context information into socio-economical and cultural discourse contributes to a cultural anthropology of textile use. For the pre- and protohistory periods of Central Europe, it is a challenge that textiles are among those organic materials that are rarely preserved due to the prevailing climatic conditions. A wider goal was to present a comprehensive overview of the latest approaches and aims in archaeological textile research. In the last decades, standards have been set in studies on textile fibres, textile structures, dyes and textile tools. New methods for examining textile artefacts and tools have led to new ways of understanding textile craft in prehistoric and historic times – as well as their impact on economy, trade, social…
Publications
Reconstruction of the Major Maternal and Paternal Lineages in the Feral New Zealand Kaimanawa Horses.
Sharif, M.B., Fitak, R.R., Wallner, B., Orozco-terWengel, P., Frewin, S., Fremaux, M., Mohandesan, E., 2022. Reconstruction of the Major Maternal and Paternal Lineages in the Feral New Zealand Kaimanawa Horses. Animals 12, 3508. read more
News
Tom Higham delivered his inaugural lecture at the University of Vienna
Tom Higham's inaugural lecture "Neanderthals, Denisovans and Homo sapiens: How new science is changing our understanding of human evolution" took place on Monday, December 12, 2022, 5 p.m. in the Great Hall of the University of Vienna. A recording of the lecture is available on the University of Vienna Website here
Natural History Museum Vienna (NHM) Team Leaders
Katrin VOHLAND
Management Board
Dr. Katrin Vohland is Director General of the Naturhistorisches Museum Wien (NHM Vienna), Austria. Her main research interest is in the interface between science and different public audiences including policy. She develops Open Science strategically for the museum and beyond, including Citizen Science where she is active to employ integrative and reflective approaches.
The Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) Team Leaders
Michael BRANDL
I am a Prehistoric archaeologist, geo-scientist and coordinator of the Archaeological Sciences at the Austrian Archaeological Institute of the ÖAW. My research focusses on lithic raw material economy and questions relating to past human behaviour. For this task, I develop innovative protocols for provenance analyses of lithic raw materials and economic models. My geographical and chronological frame is broadly laid out to achieve a large comparative database and enable intercultural comparisons. Consequently, I am involved in extended international research networks and pursue the promotion of young scholars. Publications Michael Brandl
News
Call for Papers – “Interdisciplinary Research into Cultural and Biological Transformations in the Paleolithic Period”
Ran Barkai will be guest editing a special issue of the open access journal Quaternary entitled "Interdisciplinary Research into Cultural and Biological Transformations in the Paleolithic Period". Hewill be more than happy to advance bold, innovative and outside of the box analyses, hypothesis, data analysis and interpretations. However, any relevant perspective, thought, data presentation or model will be welcomed. All papers will be of course peer reviewed. In some cases he can assist in negotiating the costs of open access publishing, so please do not let that be a major obstacle. The incredibly long Paleolithic period is still considered by some as a stagnant phase in human cultural and biological evolution prior to the appearance of our direct ancestors. However, extensive interdisciplinary research in recent years has clearly demonstrated that this is not the case. Starting from the earliest stages of human presence on the planet some three million years ago, an impressive series of transformations, innovations, modifications and adaptations characterise our lineage. These changes in behaviour and culture took place alongside biological adaptations in human physical properties; faunal turnovers and extinctions as well as climatic fluctuations. This makes the Old Stone Age a hectic, dynamic and lively epoch worthy of investigation both in the diachronic and synchronic levels, in order to decipher the nature of transformations that characterize…
News
BAG-Förderpreis awaded to HEAS Members Magdalena Blanz and Doris Jetzinger
HEAS Members Magdalena Blanz and Doris Jetzinger have been awarded the BAG-Förderpreis, the promotional award of the Bioarchäologische Gesellschaft Österreich, for their PhD thesis and Master thesis, respectively. In the course of the award ceremony they will both give online talks about their thesis topics on Tuesday, December 13th, starting at 18:30. All information on the talks can be found on the BAG events homepage here
Publications
Death and Teeth of Late Neolithic Sheep and Red Deer Excavated at Ness of Brodgar, Orkney Islands (UK)
Blanz, M., Balasse, M., Card, N., Ascough, P., Fiorillo, D., Taggart, M.A., Feldmann, J., Mainland, I., 2022. Life, Death and Teeth of Late Neolithic Sheep and Red Deer Excavated at Ness of Brodgar, Orkney Islands (UK). Environmental Archaeology, 1-13. read more
Publications
Genetic insights into the social organization of Neanderthals
Skov, L., Peyrégne, S., Popli, D., Iasi, L.N.M., Devièse, T., Slon, V., Zavala, E.I., Hajdinjak, M., Sümer, A.P., Grote, S., Bossoms Mesa, A., López Herráez, D., Nickel, B., Nagel, S., Richter, J., Essel, E., Gansauge, M., Schmidt, A., Korlević, P., Comeskey, D., Derevianko, A.P., Kharevich, A., Markin, S.V., Talamo, S., Douka, K., Krajcarz, M.T., Roberts, R.G., Higham, T., Viola, B., Krivoshapkin, A.I., Kolobova, K.A., Kelso, J., Meyer, M., Pääbo, S., Peter, B.M., 2022. Genetic insights into the social organization of Neanderthals. Nature 610, 519-525. read more
News
HEAS in the News: HEAS’s Research is featured in Austrian Press
An interview with HEAS Head Gerhard Weber has been featured in numerous Austrian publications. Read full articles (in German) here https://www.wienerzeitung.at/nachrichten/wissen/forschung/2165361-Forschungsverbund-der-Uni-Wien-widmet-sich-Evolutionsfragen.html https://www.studium.at/evolution-des-menschen-wie-wien-zum-forschungs-schwergewicht-wurde
News
HEAS in the News : HEAS Head Gerhard Weber honoured with Niederösterreich Wissenschaftspreis, the Science Prize from Lower Austria
HEAS Head Gerhard Weber was honored with the Niederösterreich Wissenschaftspreis (Science Prize from Lower Austria) for his research and in particular his research into the origin of the "Venus von Willendorf", a female fugure which was found in 1908 in Willendorf in the Wachau. Weber and his team examined the figurine's material and their research suggests that Venus may have come from a location near Lake Garda in Italy. The ceremony took place on the 18th October 2022. Read the press reports (in German) https://www.ots.at/presseaussendung/OTS_20221019_OTS0035/wissenschaftspreise-2022-hoehepunkt-im-forschungsherbst https://www.noen.at/niederoesterreich/wirtschaft/top-wissenschaft-aus-niederoesterreich-wurde-ausgezeichnet-niederoesterreich-redaktionsfeed-wissenschaftsgala-wissenschaft-johanna-mikl-leitner-redaktion-340206811 More about Gerhard Weber's research here: https://www.heas.at/research/publications/the-microstructure-and-the-origin-of-the-venus-from-willendorf/
News
HEAS in the News : Tom Higham’s latest article featured in the Guardian
HEAS Deputy Head Tom Higham's latest paper has been featured in the Guardian newspaper. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/oct/13/neanderthals-and-modern-humans-may-have-copied-each-others-tools Read the original paper here: Multi-isotopic study of the earliest mediaeval inhabitants of Santiago de Compostela (Galicia, Spain) - HEAS
Publications
Multi-isotopic study of the earliest mediaeval inhabitants of Santiago de Compostela (Galicia, Spain)
Pérez-Ramallo, P., Grandal-d´Anglade, A., Organista, E., Santos, E., Chivall, D., Rodríguez-Varela, Götherstrom, A., Etxeberria, F., Ilgner, J., Fernandez, R., Arsuaga, J-L., Le Roux, P., Higham, T., Beaumont, J., Koon, H. and Roberts, P. 2022. Multi-isotopic study of the earliest mediaeval inhabitants of Santiago de Compostela (Galicia, Spain). Archaeol Anthropol Sci 14, 214. read more
Publications
Stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes identify nuanced dietary changes from the Bronze and Iron Ages on the Great Hungarian Plain.
McCall, A., Gamarra, B., Duffett Carlson, K.S., Bernert, Z., Cséki, A., Csengeri, P., Domboróczki, L., Endrődi, A., Hellebrandt, M., Horváth, A., Király, Krisztián Kiss., Judit Koós, A., Péter Kovács, P., Köhler, K., Szolnoki, L., K. Zoffmann, Z., Sirak, K., Szeniczey, T., Dani, J., Hajdu T., & Pinhasi R., (2022). "Stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes identify nuanced dietary changes from the Bronze and Iron Ages on the Great Hungarian Plain." Scientific Reports 12(1): 16982. read more
Publications
History and Archaeology in Discourse on the Dernberg–Reconstructing the Historical Landscape of a Medieval Motte-and-Bailey Castle and Deserted Village
Filzwieser, R., Ruß, D., Kucera, M., Doneus, M., Hasenhündl, G., Verhoeven, G.J., Zotti, G., Lenzhofer, A., Stüttler, G., Pisz, M., Neubauer, W., 2022. History and Archaeology in Discourse on the Dernberg–Reconstructing the Historical Landscape of a Medieval Motte-and-Bailey Castle and Deserted Village. Heritage 5 (3), 2123–2141. doi:10.3390/heritage5030111. read more
Publications
Human‐in‐the‐loop development of spatially adaptive ground point filtering pipelines—An archaeological case study.
Doneus, M., Höfle, B., Kempf, D., Daskalakis, G, Shinoto, M . (2022). "Human‐in‐the‐loop development of spatially adaptive ground point filtering pipelines—An archaeological case study." Archaeological Prospection. read more
Publications
Confronting Complexity: Interpretation of a Dry Stone Walled Landscape on the Island of Cres, Croatia
Doneus, M., Doneus, N., Cowley, D., (2022). Confronting Complexity: Interpretation of a Dry Stone Walled Landscape on the Island of Cres, Croatia. Land 2022, 11, 1672, s read more
Jobs
Postdoctoral position – virus evolution in great apes
We are looking for a postdoctoral researcher to work on a FWF-funded project (1000 ideas programme) at the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology at University of Vienna. The project will be an investigation of potential preservation of RNA viruses in a range of great ape specimens. Funding is available for 2 years (1.5 years within the FWF project). Candidates with experience in ancient DNA or virus phylogenomics, or related fields are preferred. There will be strong support on all aspects of the project (lab procedures, data analysis) by experts in the Department (Profs. Kuhlwilm, Pinhasi, Schünemann, and their teams). The starting date is earliest 1st January 2023 (but flexible). If you are interested, please send a brief motivation letter and CV to martin.kuhlwilm@unvie.ac.at
News Allgemein
HEAS in the News: HEAS reacts to Colleague’s Nobel Prize
HEAS member Robin Golster has offered his congratulations to his colleague Prof. Anton Zeilinger upon the announcement of his Nobel Prize win. "The Faculty of Physics is very happy about this well-deserved award for Anton Zeilinger, who has significantly shaped our research and promotion of young talent since 1999 - as a top researcher, scientific mentor and also as Dean of our faculty. That in Austria as a whole there is a flourishing landscape for the Quantum research is also a great achievement of Anton Zeilinger. With his scientific curiosity and energy, he is an inspiration for all faculty members," congratulates Robin Golser, Dean of the Faculty of Physics at the University of Vienna. Read more here (in German): https://science.apa.at/power-search/3565881263135562463
News
HEAS in the News: Pinhasi Paper on ORF
Austria's national broadcaster covers the latest publication by HEAS Deputy Head Ron Pinhasi and HEAS members Olivia Cheronet and Daniel Fernandes et al. https://science.orf.at/stories/3215387/ Have a look at the article on our publications page: https://www.heas.at/research/publications/the-diverse-genetic-origins-of-a-classical-period-greek-army/
News
HEAS in the News: HEAS Members react to Svante Pääbo’s Nobel Prize
We at HEAS are cordially congratulating our dear colleague Svante Pääbo for this extraordinary recognition of his work which shines a light on the importance of human evolution research. Media: Kurier (paywalled) https://kurier.at/wissen/gesundheit/medizin-nobelpreis-die-hauptbotschaft-ist-wir-alle-sind-verwandt/402168681 Salzburger Nachrichten https://www.sn.at/panorama/wissen/medizin-nobelpreis-fuer-erforschung-von-neandertaler-erbgut-127838470 APA https://science.apa.at/power-search/5134024229287990666
Publications
The diverse genetic origins of a Classical period Greek army
Reitsema, L.J., Mittnik, A., Kyle, B., Catalano, G., Fabbri, P.F., Kazmi, A.C.S., Reinberger, K.L., Sineo, L., Vassallo, S., Bernardos, R., Broomandkhoshbacht, N., Callan, K., Candilio, F., Cheronet, O., Curtis, E., Fernandes, D., Lari, M., Lawson, A.M., Mah, M., Mallick, S., Mandl, K., Micco, A., Modi, A., Oppenheimer, J., Özdogan, K.T., Rohland, N., Stewardson, K., Vai, S., Vergata, C., Workman, J.N., Zalzala, F., Zaro, V., Achilli, A., Anagnostopoulos, A., Capelli, C., Constantinou, V., Lancioni, H., Olivieri, A., Papadopoulou, A., Psatha, N., Semino, O., Stamatoyannopoulos, J., Valliannou, I., Yannaki, E., Lazaridis, I., Patterson, N., Ringbauer, H., Caramelli, D., Pinhasi, R., Reich, D., 2022. The diverse genetic origins of a Classical period Greek army. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 119, e2205272119. read more
Publications
sstar:A Python package for detecting archaic introgression from population genetic data with S*
Huang, X., Kruisz, P., Kuhlwilm, M., 2022. sstar: A Python package for detecting archaic introgression from population genetic data with S*. Molecular Biology and Evolution read more
Jobs
University Assistant (post doc) at the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology
The Department of Evolutionary Anthropology seeks to appoint a University Assistant post-doc with expertise in palaeoproteomics analyses or relevant fields (biochemistry, biology, archaeological science). They will be part of a leading international group of researchers working across the fields of Human Evolution, Archaeological Science and Ancient DNA reporting to, and working with, Assistant Professor Katerina Douka. More information and applications here
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.
Publications
Premolar Extraction Affects Mandibular Kinematics
Alejandra Londoño , M. A., Cinzia Fornai, Markus Greven (2022). "Premolar Extraction Affects Mandibular Kinematics." European Journal of Dentistry. read more
Vienna Institute for Archaeological Science (VIAS) Members
Eve DERENNE
Eve Derenne is an archaeologist working on the recent Prehistory of Europe. Her research focuses on the emergence, diffusion, and local integration processes of large-scale cultural phenomena such as the Bell Beaker complex. To tackle these issues, her approach encompasses ceramic technology, radiocarbon dating, and Bayesian modelling, applied to both micro- and macroscales. Her other research concerns include: megalithic-erecting societies, the Neolithic-Bronze Age transition, and the relationship between domestic and funerary contexts.
News
Open Day at the Early Bronze Age rampart at Ratzersdorf/Am Dachsgraben
The Open Day at the Early Bronze Age rampart at Ratzersdorf/Am Dachsgraben in Lower Austria, which took place on the 28th July 2022, was a great success. HEAS Member Alexandra Krenn-Leeb conducted a guided tour of the site. The Open Day was organised by the Department of Prehistoric and Historical Archaeology, University of Vienna Ratzersdorf_Flyer_2022_EN
Publications
Thermal Influences on Shells: an Archaeological Experiment from the Tropical Indo-pacific
Oertle, A., Szabó, K., 2022. Thermal Influences on Shells: an Archaeological Experiment from the Tropical Indo-pacific. Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory. read more
Publications
Peering into the unseen: Novel methods in identifying shell taxa from archaeological micro-fragments
Oertle, A., Szabó, K., Gaqa, S., Cawthra, H.C., Esteban, I., Pargeter, J., Fisher, E.C., 2022. Peering into the unseen: Novel methods in identifying shell taxa from archaeological micro-fragments. Journal of Archaeological Science 147, 105667. read more
Department of Evolutionary Anthropology (DEA) Members
Daniel FERNANDES
I am a postdoctoral researcher in Ron Pinhasis's group, in the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology of the University of Vienna. My expertise is the paleogenomic analysis of ancient human populations, specifically targeting ancestry determination, phenotypic assessment, admixture simulations, and societal organisation using kinship. Complementary interests and work areas involve the development and use of bioinformatic tools and pipelines for various genomic analysis, specifically for kinship estimation, as well as the development of ancient DNA laboratory methodologies and protocols for improved bone sampling and endogenous DNA separation.