A research institute for Palaeolithic studies has existed in the region of Lower Austria since 2009, with the branch office of Krems an der Donau. Until 2015, rooms in the well-known Mediaeval citadel ›Gozzoburg‹ could be used as work spaces. In March 2015 the branch office relocated from the ›Gozzoburg‹ to the city region of Mitterau. Although it was certainly difficult to leave this Mediaeval ambience after six years, nevertheless the new location provides substantially more space and better working conditions. Excellent transportation connections are assured due to the immediate vicinity of the exit from the federal highway 3, as well as the railway station Krems an der Donau. The two-storeyed building, set back from the road, provides ample parking with entrance at ground level. A large working space, in which archaeological finds can be displayed at great capacity, exists in the lower storey of the building. Offices, as well as sanitary installations and a kitchen, are located in the upper storey. In total, four computer work spaces, connected via a network, are available in the branch office.
Research
The branch office at Krems an der Donau forms the basis for extensive territorial research of the Research Group for Quaternary Archaeology along the Danube and its tributaries between the town of Melk and the city of Vienna. The focus of research activities is currently on the Upper Palaeolithic open-air site of Kammern-Grubgraben, where annual excavation campaigns have taken place since 2015; and on the processing and publication of the archaeological excavations at the Upper Palaeolithic open-air site of Krems-Wachtberg 2005–2015. In addition, the branch office is used as the starting point for smaller excavation and survey projects. Numerous research projects concerning current Palaeolithic questions, such as investigations into cultural and climatic developments around the Late Glacial Maximum (LGM), the exploration of evident and latent settlement finds, or studies in the detection of Pleistocene sediment sequences, are carried out at the branch office in cooperation with national and international institutions with cross-national teamwork. The available space and the infrastructure of the premises are also used for the training and further education of scientific junior scholars. To this end, blocks of courses are offered at regular intervals, primarily in cooperation with the Institute for Prehistory and Historical Archaeology of the University of Vienna, yet also with foreign universities such as, for example, the Institute for Pre- and Early History of the University of Cologne, and the Institute for Pre- and Early History of the Friedrich-Alexander-University at Erlangen-Nuremberg. The large working space in the lower storey is used essentially for extensive material studies, such as for example sorting, inventorying, processing or refitting of the inventory of Palaeolithic finds.
Current Focal Points
- Excavations at the Upper Palaeolithic open-air site of Kammern-Grubgraben
- Processing and publication of the finds from the Upper Palaeolithic open-air site of Krems-Wachtberg 2005–2015
- Processing and publication of the Upper Palaeolithic open-air sites of Gösing-Setzergraben and Kamegg
- High-definition investigations of the cultural and climatic development around the Late Glacial Maximum (LGM)
- Recording of the Pleistocene sediment sequences in the middle and lower Kamp Valley
- Exploration of the settlement structures and settlement patterns at Palaeolithic sites
- Studies of pigments, art and jewellery in the Palaeolithic era
- Artefact-morphological evaluation of the inventories of stone implements
- Promotion of scientific junior scholars
Contact
Rechte Kremszeile 2E
3500 Krems an der Donau
T (+43 2732) 81228
oeai-krems(at)oeaw.ac.at