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
My research focuses on the ancient Greek world and Anatolia, and I am particularly interested in questions concerning migration, mobility, and cultural interaction. My current project (https://www.migmag-erc.eu/) investigates how multi-scalar mobilities contributed to the formation of ancient Greek communities in the first millennium BCE, comparing narrative of migration with evidence from landscape survey for population circulation and regional mobilities. I am working on a project to develop mew digital approaches to modelling regional mobilities using environmental, archaeological, and historical data. Since 2020 I have been a Professor of Classical Archaeology (Greek) at the University of Vienna.
Stojanovski, D., Horejs, B., 2025. New “Balkan Fashion” Developing Through the Neolithization Process: The Ceramic Annulets of Amzabegovo and Svinjarička Čuka. Open Archaeology 11. read more
Interest in science is high, as evidenced by well-attended children's universities, dedicated citizen scientists, and science fiction bestsellers. But how is new knowledge created, what are researchers working on, and why are diverse perspectives on unresolved questions more important today than ever before? The new podcast "What We Know" from the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) takes listeners into the world of science. It contextualizes new knowledge, previously overlooked connections, and background information. Each season focuses on a major scientific topic. The very first season of the FWF podcast, which premieres on November 12, tackles a truly significant subject. It's about nothing less than us: humanity. What do we know about being human? A good question – and not so easy to answer. Therefore, in six episodes, hosts Francesca Grandolfo and Thomas Zauner visit researchers at their workplaces and gather as much knowledge as possible. The episodes span from the origin of life four billion years ago, through the history of civilization and the development of language and cognition, to artificial intelligence and the impact of humans on the environment in the Anthropocene. Speaking of the Anthropocene – does it even exist? Making science tangible In laboratories, institutes, and in the field, journalists Francesca and Thomas speak with researchers throughout Austria about their current work, about basic research, curiosity, and…
Oertle, A., Crezzini, J., Moroni, A., Ronchitelli, A., Benazzi, S., Falcucci, A., Marciani, G., Rossini, M., Martini, I., Arrighi, S., Higham, T., Boschin, F., Douka, K., 2025. New insights from the application of ZooMS to Late Pleistocene fauna from Grotta di Castelcivita, southern Italy. Scientific Reports 15, 25906. read more
HEAS Member Tom Maltas has recently had a paper published in Scientific Reports on 'Agricultural adaptations to mid-late Holocene climate change in western Türkiye'. Abstract The period around the mid-late Holocene transition (c. 2200 bc) saw major societal developments across the eastern Mediterranean. At the same time, the region experienced a shift to more arid climatic conditions. This included punctuated episodes of rapid climate change such as the ‘4.2 ka event’, which has been implicated in widespread societal ‘collapse’ at the end of the Early Bronze Age. The ways in which societies adapted agricultural production to cope with a drying climate are poorly understood. We begin to rectify this through stable isotope analysis of archaeobotanical remains from the Aegean region of western Türkiye, conducted to reveal changes in agricultural decision making across the mid-late Holocene transition. We find that Bronze Age farmers adapted agricultural production strategies by investing in drought-tolerant cereals cultivated on drier fields with water management strategies redirected towards pulses. Despite this, we find no evidence for pronounced drought stress in cereals grown during the period of the 4.2 ka event. This raises the potential for alternative explanations for societal disruptions visible across the Anatolian Plateau during this time, such as the breakdown of long-distance trade networks. Read full article
A new article has been published by HEAS member Katerina Douka et al. on fossils, fish and tropical forests : prehistoric human adaptations on the island frontiers of Oceania. Oceania is a key region for studying human dispersals, adaptations and interactions with other hominin populations. Although archaeological evidence now reveals occupation of the region by approximately 65–45 000 years ago, its human fossil record, which has the best potential to provide direct insights into ecological adaptations and population relationships, has remained much more elusive. Read full article
A new article on the Grotte Mandrin has been published. Higham, Douka et. al. show that Homo sapiens made the so-called "Neronian" Palaeolithic industry there ~54,000 years ago. This is the earliest evidence there is in this part of the world for modern humans. Read More
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…
The new paper “Quantum Leaps in Human Biocultural Evolution and the Relationship to Cranial Capacity” published in Life 2023, 13 by HEAS Head Gerhard Weber bridges between the domains of biological anthropology and archaeology. The evolution of the genus Homo can only be understood by considering both of the inheritance systems that interact to shape human nature: biology and culture. While growing intellectual abilities are a key factor of human evolution, they are rarely contrasted with cultural progress. Cranial capacity data of 193 hominin fossils from the last seven million years and artefacts of increasing number and complexity in the archaeological record are used to demonstrate the concordant progression of brain-size increase and cultural development, starting approximately two million years ago. Our biocultural evolution shows a number of quantum leaps along the time axis applying to both domains. At first, humans left the canonical evolutionary pathway, which pertains to all other organisms, by enhancing their fitness using sophisticated tools and fire; secondly, they turned into a symbolic species; and finally, humanity now faces a new challenge: “intentional evolution”. Chronologically, these quantum leaps correspond to cranial capacity data used here as a proxy for cognitive performance. This contribution tries to demonstrate this parallel development and argues for a simple and generalized model of human biocultural evolution. An extrapolation of the model into the…
HEAS Member Mario Gavranovic has recently published a paper with Cambridge University Press on 'Kopilo: a newly discovered Late Bronze and Iron Age burial ground in Bosnia' Read full article here
Sound instruments over 12,000 years old identified as used by the last hunter-gatherers of the Near East to imitate the call of birds of prey An international team of archaeologists and ethnomusicologists led by José-Miguel Tejero (Researcher at the Pinhasi Laboratory of the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology of the University of Vienna and HEAS Member) and Laurent Davin (CNRS. France) has discovered a unique set of prehistoric sound instruments in the Near East. These objects come from the Eynan-Mallaha archaeological site (Natufian archaeological culture, c. 13,000-9,700 BC) in northern Israel, excavated since 1955 by a Franco-Israeli team. The results of the study of these materials have just been published in the journal Scientific Reports. Link to article [gallery ids="2519,2522"] [playlist type="video" ids="2517"]
Dominik Hagmann's latest research, "Home is Where my Villa Is: A Machine Learning-based Predictive Suitability Map for Roman Features in Northern Noricum (ca. 50–500 CE/Lower Austria/AUT)," was recently published in the Journal of Maps. The study applies the Maxent machine learning (ML) algorithm to identify suitable locations for Roman archaeological features in Lower Austria. It offers new insights into ancient Roman settlement patterns and provides valuable support for heritage management and archaeological research. https://www.heas.at/research/publications/home-is-where-my-villa-is-a-machine-learning-based-predictive-suitability-map-for-roman-features-in-northern-noricum-ca-50-500-ce-lower-austria-aut/
HEAS Members Magdalena T. Srienc-Ściesiek, Sabine Ladstätter and Sylvia Kirchengast recently published a paper on Evidence of non-adult vitamin C deficiency in three early medieval sites in the Jaun/Podjuna Valley, Carinthia, Austria. Read full article
The journal Nature Reviews Genetics published today a comprehensive review on how deep learning techniques are used in the context of population genetics, such as tasks for inferring demographic histories, identifying population structure and investigating natural selection from high-throughput sequencing data. With increasingly large-scale datasets on genetic diversity, especially for modern and ancient humans, technologies from deep learning are becoming more and more popular for studying evolutionary biology. An overview on this highly dynamic interdisciplinary field is presented in this publication, providing guidelines and discussing future directions. HEAS members Xin Huang and Martin Kuhlwilm led this work, with contributions from HEAS member Aigerim Rymbekova, as well as collaborators in Spain. Click here for more
A new article has been published on the massive, neolithic pit structure recently discovered during geophysical survey around the Durrington Walls Henge, Wiltshire. Following their original discovery of what may be the largest Neolithic structure in Britain, archaeologists have since returned to confirm the details of the pit circle and to provide new dating and environmental information. This work has confirmed that Durrington Walls henge, itself one of the largest prehistoric enclosures in Britain, was ringed by a large structure of at least 16 massive pits, many of which measured 10 m in diameter and up to 5 m in depth. None of the very large features investigated, have yet to provide evidence that they were formed naturally by chalk solution. Recent work confirms that these features were likely dug and filled during the later Neolithic, with optically stimulated luminescence studies indicating a date of c. 2480 BC. The application of new sedimentary DNA studies has also provided new evidence for the plants and animals associated with the chalk landscape surrounding these features. Even within a landscape as exceptional as that surrounding nearby Stonehenge, the results of this work emphasis that these pits are a cohesive structure, which represent an elaboration of the Durrington Walls monument complex at a massive, and completely unexpected, scale. Research on the pits at…
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/
HEAS Member Cinzia Fornai has recently published articles on Centric relation: A matter of form and substance and Dynamic finite-element simulations reveal early origin of complex human birth pattern.
A team led by J.-M. Tejero, integrated by several HEAS members, published research assessing the reliability of Cervidae antler as a source of ancient DNA by analysing samples from several Eurasian regions. More information here
During excavation work in Hallstatt (on the property of the Kocsar-Riezinger family in the Seestraße), archaeological layers of scientific importance were uncovered: Medieval terracing walls, a burnt layer with coins, bricks and fragments of vessels of the Roman period, as well as up to one meter thick layers from the Latène period (Late Iron Age, c 450-15 BC). Around 1,000 artefacts from different epochs have recently been recovered. The results will be presented to the public on the 12th August 2025 at the NHM Wien. More information in the press release here. Press Release [gallery ids="4676,4677,4678,4675"]
I am an evolutionary anthropologist and morphometrician. I obtained a PhD in Biological Anthropology from the University of Cambridge and am currently based at the Department of Evolutionary Biology at the University of Vienna as an ESPRIT fellow. I am interested in which sense the human lineage is unique and in which sense we are “just another unique species.” Central to my research, therefore, is placing human evolution in a wider comparative and theoretical biology context. I study complex traits such as the pelvis, cranium, inner ear, and the entire dentition. Currently, my main research focus is on the study of evolutionary trade-offs in the human and non-human placental mammalian pelvis in pursuit of understanding what constrains human pelvic canal size and flexibility, leading to a tight fit and difficult childbirth (an "obstetrical dilemma"). I lead an FWF-funded project devoted to this question, in which I aim to disentangle the relative contributions of reproduction, locomotion, posture, body mass support, and phylogenetic heritage in hard and soft tissue anatomy of the mammalian, including human, pelvis.
Nisa Kirchengast studied Classical Archaeology, Prehistory and Historical Archaeology, and Biology at the University of Vienna. Since 2017 she has been working freelance on zooarchaeological material in Austria and Italy. Since 2021 she is a PraeDoc assistant and fellow at the Doctoral School of Historical and Cultural Studies at the University of Vienna. Her PhD project is about Roman food supply and distribution systems of animal products in the Danubian provinces. Nisa's research focuses on butchery studies, taphonomy, animal husbandry practices, foodways, Human-Animal interactions, trade and supply networks.
I am an archaeologist at the Vienna Institute for Archaeological Sciences (VIAS) focusing on the archaeological prospection of Roman landscapes. The joint interpretation of data from different prospection techniques makes it possible to go beyond the archaeological sites to record landscape history and trace the many facets of human life. The diachronic investigation of human land use is particularly exciting here, as it shows the interaction between humans and the environment, in particular the modification of the natural environment to meet the needs of habitation, infrastructure or agriculture.
Gelabert, P., Blazyte, A., Chang, Y., Fernandes, D.M., Jeon, S., Hong, J.G., Yoon, J., Ko, Y., Oberreiter, V., Cheronet, O., Özdoğan, K.T., Sawyer, S., Yang, S., Greytak, E.M., Choi, H., Kim, J., Kim, J.-I., Jeong, J., Bae, K., Bhak, J., Pinhasi, R., 2022. Northeastern Asian and Jomon-related genetic structure in the Three Kingdoms period of Gimhae, Korea. Current Biology read more
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.
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.
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
I am an archaeometrist with a degree in Archaeological Sciences and a PhD in Archaeology. As ceramic specialist I am involved in various projects in the pre- and historical Mediterranean and South-Western Asia. My research focuses on the study of craft organization in relation to cultural, economic and political changes. As supervisor of early-career scientists I expanded my expertise to pigment, brick, mortar and glass analyses. Currently, I am head of the Research Group “Object Itineraries” and part of the core team of the Research Infrastructure “Heritage Sciences” at the OeAI as well as lecturer at the University of Vienna.
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
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
Will, S., Beckmann, M., Kunstmann, K., Kerschbaumer, J., Loh, Y.L., Stofel, S., Matts, P.J., Shackelford, T.K., Fink, B., Perceptions of female age, health and attractiveness vary with systematic hair manipulations. International Journal of Cosmetic Science n/a. read more
I am a Researcher in paleogenomics focusing on the study of genetic data from different sources. I am primarily interested in analyzing genomic data from past environments or populations that can be co-analyzed together with other disciplines to answer questions linked to cultural evolution and health status assessment of ancient populations. I am currently working on projects related to past microbiomes and populations as well on the analysis of ancient environmental genomic data of human-related environments
Peter C. Ramsl (Priv. Doz., Mag. Dr.) is university assistant specialising in the European Iron Age and is currently leading the FWF project ‘Celts Across The Alps’ (CATA). His research on the European Iron Ages focusses on the identities and social relationships of people, their mobility and possible migrations as well as dietary habits. This is achieved through a combination of interdisciplinary methodological approaches. Current research is also focussing on insights into social and biological gender and the effects of violence and war on societies. As part of the current FWF project, he and his research team are analysing the relationships between La Tène cemeteries from the Traisen valley in Lower Austria and those from northern Italy near Bologna and Mantova. Another interest is landscape archaeology, focussing on the use of the various landscapes of the Iron Age.
Peter Steier is assistant professor at the Faculty of Physics and member of the research group Isotope Physics. Working with accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) techniques he is interested in very heavy ions (actinides), time-of-flight detectors, energy loss and straggling, isobar identification, the 14C dating for archaeology, and application of Bayesian statistics to calibration.
I am an evolutionary anthropologist and trained morphometrician. I obtained my PhD in Evolutionary Anthropology from the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology at the University of Vienna, where I specialized in the use of 3D virtual imaging techniques combined with geometric morphometrics to study modern human dental variation. My research interests include hominin evolution, dental and functional morphology, and paleopathology. Currently, I am a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Vienna, continuing my research in dental anthropology. I focus on examining morphological variation within and between the dentitions of modern human populations, as well as those of prehistoric populations and other hominins.
The Virtual Anthropology group at University of Vienna (Prof. Gerhard Weber) is now offering a position as a Ph.D. candidate (PraeDoc) in the area of 3D dental morphology. The position is funded by the Austrian Science Foundation (FWF) project “Variation of the 3D shape and size of human teeth” running from November 2024 to October 2027 and will be available from July 2025 onwards. The successful candidate will have an eligible master’s degree in biology or related fields, and have extensive knowledge in human dental anatomy, 3D image data processing (e.g, Amira-Avizo) and Geometric Morphometric analyses. Fluent English skills and team-work ability are required. Salary will be paid according to the official FWF/University scheme in Austria and full social security benefits will be provided. Please send your application to gerhard.weber@univie.ac.at.
I am a theoretical biologist, anthropologist, and biostatistician in the Department of Evolutionary Biology at the University of Vienna. I have studied the development and evolution of human and primate anatomy, with medical applications to orthodontics and gynecology. I am particularly interested in the interaction of developmental, environmental, and evolutionary processes. Another current research focus is on human childbirth: an evolutionary conundrum involving biological, environmental, and sociocultural dynamics. My methodological work comprises contributions to geometric morphometrics, multivariate biostatistics, and quantitative genetics.
HEAS members Ron Pinhasi and Olivia Cheronet were recently featured on an arte documentary series 'Das Steinzeit Menu' in the second episode on 'Als Homo sapiens zum Bauern wurde' The documentary (in German) can be viewed on the link below until the 24th July 2024. https://www.arte.tv/de/videos/106261-000-A/das-steinzeit-menue/
