Allgemein

On the 12th December 2025 the 2nd Annual HEAS Gräzlfest: The Annual Meeting took place at the HEAS Partner Institute the Natural History Museum, Vienna.   The focus for this year was on the early career researchers within the network and on HEAS Seed Grant recipients. Overall we had ten tables showcasing some of the research being conducted within HEAS. Kayleigh Saunderson  Archaeological textiles  Manasij Pal Chowdhury and Emese Végh  Paleoproteomics Analysis and FWF grant 'HUMEVCOL’ Ginevra Di Bernardo, Petra Šimková and  Emily Rajchl  Virtual Anthropology and Morphology Stefan Krojer and Immo Trinks  High-resolution underwater archaeological photogrammetric 3D documentation of the entire UNESCO World Heritage site Station See, Lake Mondse Maximilian Piniel and Valentina Laaha From Pasturing to Dining - Interdisciplinary Approaches in the Alps Arne Bielke and Meriam Guellil Ancient Pathogen Genomics and Horses Laura van der Sluis and Maddalena Gianni  radiocarbon group/lab Thomas Beard and Larissa Bartsch  Microarchaeology station Susanna Sawyer and Olivia Cheronet Non-destructive aDNA methods Michaela Schauer and Tabea Truntschnig ESPRIT Project During the afternoon we also had a photo competition, a stamp card with science questions and refreshments.     [gallery ids="5575,5574,5572,5570,5568,5579,5580,5581,5582"]

HEAS Team leaders Michaela Schauer and Irmgard Hein et al. have recently published a Cambridge Elements booklet on Ceramic Analysis: Laboratory Methods. Link to the publication is here. This Element, authored by a team of specialist researchers, provides an overview of the various analytical techniques employed in the laboratory for the examination of archaeological ceramic materials. Pottery represents one of the earliest technical materials used by humans and is arguably the most frequently encountered object in archaeological sites. The original plastic raw material, which is solidified by firing, exhibits a wide range of variations in terms of production methods, material, form, decoration, and function. This frequently presents significant challenges for archaeologists. In modern laboratories, a variety of archaeometric measurement methods are available for addressing a wide range of archaeological questions. Examples of these include determining the composition of archaeological materials, elucidating the processes involved in manufacturing and decoration, estimating the age of archaeological material, and much more. The sections present available methods for analysing pottery, along with an exploration of their potential application.

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/

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

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      

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/        

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 …

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/

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.…

HEAS Team Leader Katerina Douka was recently awarded a Consolidator ERC grant. ERC Consolidator Grants are awarded to exceptional mid-career researchers who have established themselves as independent investigators and are ready to further solidify their role as research leaders. These grants support groundbreaking projects with the potential to significantly advance their field. New fossils expected to reveal more about how humans evolved Modern humans (Homo sapiens) evolved in Africa, dispersed into Eurasia, and by ~60,000 years ago they reached Sahul, the supercontinent that connected present-day Australia, Papua New Guinea and Tasmania. This remarkable human migration, from the East African Rift to the Pacific Rim, enabled the genetic admixture of Homo sapiens with other hominin species, such as Neanderthals and Denisovans, who evolved and lived outside Africa for millennia. The genetic exchanges between archaic hominins and Homo sapiens contributed to the diversity, resilience, and adaptive capacities of modern humans today. However, our knowledge of the human groups that inhabited Africa 100,000 years ago, and those who migrated and subsequently reached Sahul, remains limited due to the lack of fossil and molecular data. RIFT-to-RIM, the new ERC CoG project led by Assoc. Prof. Douka, aims to fill this gap. The project's principal objective is the discovery and analysis of new early modern human fossils from under-researched parts of the world. State-of-the-art paleoproteomic…

HEAS member Michaela Schauer was awarded the International Philippika Prize for her PhD on the 25th October 2024. More information on the prize and Michaela's work: https://www.harrassowitz-verlag.de/aktuell.ahtml https://www.archaeologie42.de/auszeichnung-award/internationaler-philippika-preis-2024-vergeben/5499/ https://www.uni-trier.de/universitaet/fachbereiche-faecher/fachbereich-iii/faecher/klassische-und-provinzialroemische-archaeologie/forschung-und-projekte/philippika-preis  

Gerhard Weber recently had his publication on 'Quantum Leaps in Human Biocultural Evolution and the Relationship to Cranial Capacity' cited in a New Scientist article on 'Why did humans evolve big brains? A new idea bodes ill for our future'. The article considers his suggestions that the rise of artificial intelligence might become even less important for humans to maintain large brains.. Barras.C.2024.New.Scientist.Brain.Evolution       https://www.heas.at/research/publications/quantum-leaps-in-human-biocultural-evolution-and-the-relationship-to-cranial-capacity/   https://homepage.univie.ac.at/gerhard.weber/selected-publications/

Rapa Nui (Easter Island) with its gigantic statues and treeless landscape has fascinated researchers for centuries. A new genetic study published in this week’s Nature disproves the popular theory that the Rapanui population collapsed as a result of an “ecocide”—a human-caused environmental suicide—and shows that the Rapanui admixed with Indigenous Americans centuries before Europeans arrived on the island.   https://www.heas.at/research/publications/ancient-rapanui-genomes-reveal-resilience-and-pre-european-contact-with-the-americas/   Press Release   Media Coverage ORF

The first Conference on Methodological Innovations in P-XRF-Studies will be held on 24th of September 2024 at the Vienna Institute for Archaeological Science with an Ice-breaker Event at the Naturhistorisches Museum Wien on the 23rd of September. It will give space to discuss portable X-ray fluorescence (p-XRF), a method widely used in a variety of research fields including archaeometry, conservation, geology, heritage studies, and many more. However, despite its widespread use, there still remains a lack of understanding of the specific requirements and best practices for handling the instrument across different research applications and materials: The simplicity of the instrument, as easy as pulling a trigger, gives the impression that, compared to laboratory methods, it does not require a specialist to operate it. As a result, there is a lack of training opportunities for practitioners, a deficit of groundwork and innovative studies and a tendency to apply p-XRF in a repetitive manner to the ever-same research questions. This sidelines p-XRF and neglects its innovative potential. Therefore, this conference will provide a platform to present cutting-edge methods and strategies for p-XRF data acquisition, processing and interpretation. It aims to highlight practical and software innovations, handling techniques and the new ways of the application of p-XRF to a variety of materials. Presentations from a variety of fields utilizing p-XRF will be presented…

HEAS Team Leader Sylvia Kirchengast (Department of Evolutionary Anthropology) has recently received new funding from the Austrian Science Fund (FWF)’s 1000 Ideas Program. Her research project, „Gender-associated infant mortality in archaeological samples“, will examine the still unexplained female deficit in prehistoric and historic cemeteries.   The demographic interpretation of prehistoric and historic cemeteries is challenged by a frequent female deficit, with male skeletons often outnumbering female skeletons by a factor of two or more, contrary to expected natural sex ratios. Methodological issues such as inaccurate morphological sex diagnosis and possibly faster decomposition of female skeletons have been suggested but remain unproven. Additionally, gender stereotypes may influence the sex classification of human remains.   Sylvia's interdisciplinary project posits a new explanation: the female deficit is not a methodological artifact but a result of the subordinate role of women in patriarchal societies. This deficit may stem from lower societal investment in female offspring or from deliberate neglect. The project explores this question through interdisciplinary collaboration between Roman Archaeology and Biological Anthropology.   The team, consisting of HEAS members Sylvia Kirchengast, Dominik Hagmann, and other experts from HEAS and beyond, will analyze a Roman-era cemetery from today’s Wels, Austria, known for its female deficit. The research will include aDNA analysis of subadult individuals to detect excess female mortality, 14C dating, and material culture…

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Elmira Mohandesan has been awarded an FWF stand-alone research grant (PAT 3594624). She and her international team will explore the genetic diversity and cultural interactions of Late Bronze to Middle Iron Age human communities in the Carpathian Basin. Their multidisciplinary study will investigate how eastern population influxes and horses influenced these societies, providing a comprehensive understanding of their socio-cultural transformations." More information

The HEAS Keynote with Eszter Bánffy took place on Friday the 28th June in the beautiful Theatersaal in the HEAS Partner Institution The Austrian Academy of Sciences. We welcomed almost 100 people online and in-person for her talk on 'New strategies and coping practices of early farmers taking the Danubian route (6000-5350 cal BC)'.   The recording from this event will be available on our YouTube channel later this week.

The prestigious excavations of the Austrian Archaeological Institute in Ephesos/Türkiye will be led by Martin Steskal from this year. For many years, Steskal has been committed to interdisciplinary research approaches and the establishment of archaeology as an interface between the humanities and sciences. His planned research includes questions on circular economy, resource management, human-environment relationships, production and consumption. He deals with the key question of how the living conditions of an ancient populations can be reconstructed.

On the 6th February 2024 HEAS hosted a group of children from children from around Vienna for a workshop on 'Archaeology for Kids' at the HEAS partner the Natural History Museum. The children learnt about the main prehistoric and historical eras with interactive examples of representative sites, monuments, and objects. We hope this hands on experience sparked an interest for the children in ancient cultures and the modern scientific methods used to study them. To learn more about the workshop and other work by Dr. Alexandra Dolea please see her blog post below: https://www.ilovearchaeology.com/post/archaeology-for-kids-workshop

HEAS Member Martin Fieder has published a new US textbook on social status, number of children in modern societies, confirming evolutionary assumptions on social status and reproduction. This is the first book to fully examine, from an evolutionary perspective, the relationship between social status and fertility in human societies before, during, and after the demographic transition. In most non-human social species, social status or relative rank in a social group is positively associated with the number of offspring, with high-status individuals typically having more offspring than low-status individuals. Humans, however, appear to be different. As societies have become richer, fertility has fallen to unprecedented lows, with some developed societies now at or below replacement fertility. Within rich societies, women in higher-income families often have fewer children than women in lower-income families. Evolutionary theory suggests that the relationship between social status and fertility is likely to be somewhat different for men and women, so it is important to examine this relationship for men and women separately. When this is done, the positive association between individual SES and fertility is often clear in less developed, pre-transition societies, especially for men. Once the demographic transition begins, it is elite families, and especially the women of elite families, who lead the way in fertility decline. Post-transition, the evidence from a wide range of developed…

HEAS member, Günther Karl Kunst, had his publication on 'The 10,000-year biocultural history of fallow deer and its implications for conservation policy' featured on Science ORF, the national public broadcaster for Austria. https://science.orf.at/stories/3223579/   Link to publication  

The oldest known genome of a bacterium from a family that causes diseases such as syphilis has been identified in prehistoric human remains from Brazil, a Nature paper reveals. The finding helps to shed light on the origins of this disease group. Closely related but distinct subspecies of Treponema pallidum bacteria cause different types of treponemal disease, such as venereal syphilis and a non-sexually transmitted disease known as bejel. The origins of these diseases are debated: some argue that the syphilis epidemic in late 15th century Europe arose after Columbus’ expeditions introduced the bacteria from the Americas. Previous theories of the emergence of these diseases have been based on studies of ancient bone pathology but definitive evidence to identify the causative subspecies has eluded researchers. Verena Schuenemann and colleagues extracted DNA from four individuals from a nearly 2,000-year-old Brazilian burial site and were able to reconstruct the genomes of T. pallidum bacteria that had infected them. Their analysis revealed that the pathogen responsible was most closely related to the modern species that causes bejel. The finding adds strength to previous suggestions that civilizations in the Americas experienced treponemal infections in pre-Columbian times, and that treponemal disease was already present in the New World at least 500 years before Columbus set sail. The study does not shed light on the emergence…

Congratulations to HEAS member Laura van der Sluis and HEAS Team Leader Pere Gelabert on being awarded the Young Investigator Award 2023. The Young Investigator Award is an initiative of the Faculty of Life Sciences at the University of Vienna designed to honour young postdoctoral scientists publishing in the top journals of their field. Award recipients are selected based on their publication output.