For the first time, an archaeological investigation has conclusively documented the existence of a brückenkopfkastell—a Roman auxiliary outpost castle erected at a strategic river crossing point—on Austrian soil. The discovery, made by a joint team from the Archaeological Institute of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) and the Carnuntum Archaeological Park, provides new insights into […]
Austria
Posted inClassical Archaeology
A Mass Grave with Remains of 150 Roman Legionaries in Vienna Is First Direct Evidence of Combat on Danube Limes
The recent discovery of a mass grave containing the remains of approximately 150 individuals in Simmering, Vienna, represents an unprecedented find in Europe and could shed light on the city’s origins. The discovery, made during the renovation of the Ostbahn-XI-Platz sports field, has been analyzed by Stadtarchäologie Wien in collaboration with the specialized company Novetus […]
Posted inStone Age Archaeology
Mammoth Hunting Camp from 25,000 Years Ago with Bones, Tusks, and Ivory Tools, Found in Austria
A team of archaeologists from the Austrian Archaeological Institute has discovered in Langmannersdorf, a town in Lower Austria, northeast of St. Pölten, the remains of at least five mammoths that were likely hunted and utilized by human communities approximately 25,000 years ago. Among the unearthed remains, stone tools and sectioned tusks stand out, indicating not […]
Posted inMedieval Archaeology
Two Communities of Eastern and Western Origin Coexisted Peacefully South of Vienna for Six Generations in the Avar Empire
An international team of researchers, led by the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, has conducted an unprecedented archaeogenetic study on the life and structure of Avar communities in the Early Middle Ages (567–822 CE). Specifically, the analysis of human remains from more than 700 individuals buried in the cemeteries of Mödling and Leobersdorf, located […]
Posted inAge of Exploration, Travel
Herzgruft, the Crypt in Vienna Where the Hearts of the Habsburgs Are Preserved
Saying that the heart of the Habsburgs is in Vienna may sound like a poetic expression to embellish a historical fact, but it can be taken literally if one visits the Church of the Augustinians, part of the Hofburg Imperial Palace. There, in a small chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Loreto, the Loretokapelle, lies […]
Posted inPrehistory
Europe’s Oldest Wooden Staircase was found Inside a Bronze Age Mine, Only 2 Percent of whose Tunnels have been Explored
One of the most important archaeological sites in the world is the Austrian village of Hallstatt, located on the shore of the lake of the same name and at the foot of Hoher Dachstein, the highest peak in the Salzkammergut Alps. Since prehistoric times, a salt mine has been exploited there, which is considered the […]
Posted inArt, Culture
A Painting by Gustav Klimt, Thought to Have Been Lost for a Hundred Years, Rediscovered
Art enthusiasts around the world received exciting news this year with the announcement that one of Gustav Klimt’s most famous “lost” works has resurfaced after over a century. Im Kinsky, the venerable Vienna-based auction house known for setting world records with iconic Austrian works, will offer the long-hidden painting at their highly anticipated April 2024 […]
Posted inArt
Johannes Gumpp, the 17th-century Painter whose only Work is a Mysterious Triple Self-portrait
Since the existence of the art of painting, artists have created self-portraits or included themselves in representations of mythological, religious, or invented themes. Until the invention of photography, the easiest, though not the only, way to create a self-portrait was to look in a mirror. Depending on the era, this could be more or less […]
