Institute of Archaeology
Good Servant, Bad Master. Archaeological Evidence of the Use of Fire from the Prehistoric to Modern Period
Dobrý sluha, zlý pán. Archeologické doklady využitia ohňa z praveku až novoveku
| Duration: | 1.1.2024 - 30.12.2027 |
| Program: | VEGA |
| Project leader: | PhDr. Mitáš Vladimír PhD. |
| Annotation: | Archaeological research is permanently confronted with evidence of the use of fire both in the field research phase and in the analysis and evaluation of the material. In most cases, the artefacts and ecofacts themselves are more important in the research process than the issues of fire establishment, maintenance and control. Pyrotechnologies are hidden in most objects and artefacts from archaeological contexts. This project will attempt to look at the fire in a holistic way, studying it at different levels through the lens of pyroarchaeology, which involves a range of sub-research tasks and challenges. These include pottery making, non-ferrous metallurgy, faience and glass making, pyrotechnologies associated with building/destroying things/structures, cremation, food preparation and food preservation techniques, the place of fire in nicotinism, heating systems, landscape reshaping techniques, warfare techniques, etc. There is a wide range of possibilities for research, including the use of modern methods. |
Roman Period Elites of the Suebi People in the Central Europe
Elity doby rímskej u stredoeurópskych Svébov
| Duration: | 1.7.2022 - 30.6.2026 |
| Program: | SRDA |
| Project leader: | prof. doc. PhDr. Droberjar Eduard Ph.D. |
| Annotation: | The basic idea of the project is to provide a balanced account of the contribution of domestic tradition, external contacts and movements to the formation of social elites and their manifestations during the Roman period. The geographical framework for the study of Germanic elites is defined by Central Europe, i.e. the territory of the Polabian Germanics (Suebi), i.e. south-western Slovakia, Bohemia and Moravia. The basic starting point of the project is the numerous source material with high narrative value, collected as a result of intensive field archaeological research in the area of interest. |
Environmental and isotopic studies of material from a Lusatian culture cemetery in Žilina-Bytčica
Environmental and isotopic studies of material from a Lusatian culture cemetery in Žilina-Bytčica
| Duration: | 1.1.2026 - 31.12.2027 |
| Program: | PostdokGrant |
| Project leader: | Mgr. Śmigielska Urszula PhD. |
| Annotation: | The Lusatian culture cemetery at Žilina-Bytčica, discovered in 2010, is the second largest cemetery of this culture in Slovakia (with 692 identified graves). The large number of burials and the fact that the site was excavated using modern research methods make it ideal for a number of environmental and isotopic analyses (archaeobotanical, archaeozoological, radiocarbon dating, strontium isotope analysis, measurement of zinc, strontium and calcium content of the bones). These analyses will provide objective data on the natural environment inhabited by this population and their biological characteristics, leading to further social interpretations. |
Európske strategické fórum o výskumných infraštruktúrach - Digitálna výskumná infraštruktúra pre umenie a humanitné vedy
Európske strategické fórum o výskumných infraštruktúrach - Digitálna výskumná infraštruktúra pre umenie a humanitné vedy
| Duration: | 1.8.2025 - 31.12.2026 |
| Program: | |
| Project leader: | doc. PhDr. Ruttkay Matej CSc. |
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Hospodárske zázemie "centier" vo včasnom a na počiatku vrcholného stredoveku na severe Karpatskej kotliny.
| Duration: | 1.1.2024 - 31.12.2027 |
| Program: | VEGA |
| Project leader: | doc. PhDr. Ruttkay Matej CSc. |
The interaction of man and the environment in the context of prehistoric cave settlements in Slovakia
Interakcia človeka a prírodného prostredia v kontexte pravekého osídlenia jaskýň na Slovensku.
| Duration: | 1.7.2024 - 30.6.2028 |
| Program: | SRDA |
| Project leader: | Mgr. Nemergut Adrián Ph.D. |
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Každodený život v hrade v stredoveku a na počiatku novoveku.
| Duration: | 1.9.2023 - 30.6.2026 |
| Program: | |
| Project leader: | Mgr. (DŠ) Hulková Ferenčíková Dominika |
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Krajina pod mračnom bodov - potenciál špecializovaného spracovania leteckého laserového skenovania s veľmi vysokým rozlíšením pre ochranu kultúrneho dedičstva na Slovensku
| Duration: | 1.7.2023 - 30.6.2027 |
| Program: | SRDA |
| Project leader: | doc. PhDr. Ruttkay Matej CSc. |
Late Bronze Age Cemetery of Lusatian Culture in Žilina-Bytčica
Late Bronze Age Cemetery of Lusatian Culture in Žilina-Bytčica
| Duration: | 1.1.2025 - 31.12.2026 |
| Program: | Other projects |
| Project leader: | Mgr. Śmigielska Urszula PhD. |
| Annotation: | The primary objective of the project is to produce a complete publication of the excavation results from the Lusatian culture cemetery in Žilina-Bytčica (second largest known burial ground of this culture in Slovakia). This includes a comprehensive archaeological, anthropological, spatial, and statistical analysis, supplemented by environmental (archaeobotanical and archaeozoological) and isotopic studies (C14 dating, strontium isotopes). The data collected will then be compared to previously published results for other Lusatian culture cemeteries. As an outcome of the project, the number of Lusatian graves in Slovakia for which data are published will increase by nearly 30%, and the number of available information on the biological characteristics of individuals buried in these graves is estimated to increase by over 60%. The statistical, environmental and isotopic analyses will contribute to a more accurate picture of the funerary rites of the Lusatian culture in Slovakia. |
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Modely sídliskových areálov v neolite a eneolite na území Slovenska.
| Duration: | 1.1.2025 - 31.12.2028 |
| Program: | VEGA |
| Project leader: | PhDr. Gabulová Monika PhD. |
| Annotation: | The project focuses on the period of cultural and social changes that took place during the 5th and 4th millennium BC in the settlement area in the territory of Slovakia. The aim of the project is to try to perceive these changes in the settlement structures as well as in other aspects of life. The issue is investigated using the examples of three archaeological sites. These are larger areas excavated in south-western Slovakia. On areas of several hectares, different types of settlement object and situations have been excavated, which provide a suitable basis for addressing the issue of the functioning of prehistoric settlements during the the Neolithic and Eneolithic periods. Sites were selected for the project from time periods when a certain change or departure from previous traditions and the emergence of new elements is observed in the settlement area. Artifacts and ecofacts such as pottery, animal bones, stone industry, building elements (daubt), settlement oits and graves in the area of settlements will be processed and presented. |
New perspectives on old finds: textile production in the territory of Slovakia from the Bronze Age to the late antiquity
Nové perspektívy starých nálezov: textilná produkcia na území Slovenska od doby bronzovej po neskorú antiku
| Duration: | 1.9.2025 - 30.8.2029 |
| Program: | SRDA |
| Project leader: | Mgr. Štolcová Tereza PhD. |
| Annotation: | Textiles represent a key cultural element of societies from prehistory to the present, yet they rarely survive in archaeological contexts. In Slovakia, textile fragments are often preserved in a highly degraded state, frequently appearing as mineralized residues on metal artifacts in graves. As a result, these valuable finds are often overlooked or insufficiently analysed. The PERTEX project aims to fundamentally reassess existing textile finds through an interdisciplinary and technologically advanced approach. The project will employ state-of-the-art analytical methods, including microscopic techniques (e.g., scanning electron microscopy), scientific analyses (C14 dating, metallography, isotope studies), and comprehensive technological studies of textile production. The research will be further enriched by ethnographic, archaeobotanical, and archaeozoological data, enabling a holistic understanding of textile production from the Bronze Age to the Migration Period (2nd millennium BCE – 6th century CE). Beyond textile fragments themselves, the project will also focus on the analysis of tools used in textile production (e.g., spindle whorls, loom weights) and textile processing (e.g., combs, needles). Comparing Slovak finds with textile-related artifacts from other parts of Central Europe will allow for the reconstruction of prehistoric manufacturing techniques, the identification of raw materials, and a deeper understanding of the economic, social, and cultural aspects of textile production. An important aspect of the project will also be the analysis of grave finds associated with clothing, such as jewellery (fibulae, dress fasteners, belt fittings), which provide valuable insights into the use and visual representation of textiles in prehistoric societies. The results of the PERTEX project will offer a fresh perspective on the development of textile production and its broader significance within European archaeology. |
From Celtic oppida to Great Moravian centres. Centres of power in Slovakia and their economic background
Od keltských oppíd po veľkomoravské centrá. Strediská moci na Slovensku a ich hospodárske zázemie
| Duration: | 1.1.2026 - 31.12.2029 |
| Program: | VEGA |
| Project leader: | PhDr. Pieta Karol DrSc. |
| Annotation: | The aim of the project is the consistent processing, evaluation and comparison of the economic potential of the selected most important central Early Historic and Early Medieval sites in Slovakia with overlap into the Central European research area. It will build on the results of previous successful results of the research team. It will use new possibilities of prospection, dating and interpretation of interdisciplinary research in cooperation with national and foreign cooperating institutions. It will accept and utilize the new knowledge gained from field research in recent years. |
From ore to steel. The origins of iron industry in Slovakia
Od rudy po oceľ. Počiatky železiarstva na Slovensku
| Duration: | 1.1.2026 - 31.12.2029 |
| Program: | VEGA |
| Project leader: | PhDr. Bednár Peter CSc. |
| Annotation: | The aim of the project is to process older and acquire new archaeological findings from selected regions related to iron ore mining, ore, and iron processing in the Early Historical Period, Middle Ages, and Post-medieval Period in chosen areas of Slovakia (Považský Inovec, Gemer, and Malohont). In addition to a new assessment of archaeological and cartographic (lidar imaging of the terrain) sources using the latest available physical and chemical analytical methods, we also carry out prospecting and microprobe surveys of sites where ore resources may have been exploited. We will also analyze the technological practices of ore and pig iron processing in different historical periods in selected regions of the northern Carpathian Basin. |
The position and contribution of the Roman military fort in Iža (UNESCO World Heritage Site) in Roman-Germanic relations
Pozícia a podiel rímskeho vojenského tábora v Iži (pamiatka UNESCO) v rímsko-germánskych vzťahoch
| Duration: | 1.1.2026 - 31.12.2029 |
| Program: | VEGA |
| Project leader: | PhDr. Rajtár Ján CSc. |
| Annotation: | The Roman military fort in Iža underwent significant changes from the 70s of the 2nd century to its decline at the end of the 4th century, facing numerous attacks from Germanic tribes. The garrison was essential for controlling a key section of the Roman frontier near Brigetio, serving as a tool for enforcing Roman policies toward neighboring Germanic populations. This project builds on years of research to evaluate the fort's role in managing Roman-Germanic relations and will include findings from the fort's outpost. Both experienced researchers and emerging scholars will contribute to this assessment. |
The river landscape as an archaeological research area
Riečna krajina ako priestor archeologického výskumu
| Duration: | 1.1.2026 - 31.12.2029 |
| Program: | VEGA |
| Project leader: | PhDr. Daňová Klaudia PhD. |
| Annotation: | The project builds on two previous VEGA grants, 2/0146/18 and 2/0025/22, which focused on surveying and gathering information about the potential of archaeological finds submerged under the water level in the rivers Danube, Nitra, Hron, Váh, and Žitava. Through riverbed surveys, several archaeological sites significant for understanding the communication network across different historical periods were discovered. These projects laid the foundation for further research. The proposed project aims to build upon previous scientific and research activities in order to answer questions regarding more precise dating, the construction methods of immovable finds such as fords, bridges, and other technical structures. The goal is also to create a methodological manual for research activities in aquatic environments, applicable to our conditions. |
Settlement agglomeration of Linear and Lengyel culture in the lower Pohronie and its main tributaries.
Sídliskové aglomerácie kultúry lineárnej a lengyelskej na dolnom Pohroní a jeho hlavných prítokov
| Duration: | 1.1.2026 - 31.12.2029 |
| Program: | VEGA |
| Project leader: | Mgr. Cheben Michal PhD. |
Settlement, house and household among the Celts and Germans
Sídlo, dom a domácnosť u Keltov a Germánov
| Duration: | 1.1.2025 - 31.12.2028 |
| Program: | VEGA |
| Project leader: | doc. PhDr. Březinová Gertrúda CSc. |
| Annotation: | In the last decades, it was possible to evaluate and publish several important settlements from the LaTene and Roman periods. We know their internal structure, economic activities and the material culture of their inhabitants. The presented scientific objective wants to follow from the successful projects in the past and move our knowledge higher from the level of an individual settlement. The objective is a mutual comparison of settlements with various economic activities (farmers’ settlements versus production areas) and various social status (open villages versus fenced princely manors). Similarities and differences will be monitored not only in the architectural expression (settlement structure, house) but also in the material culture (items in a household). The ambition of the project will be to detect and define the basic trends of development of the habitation structures in the last centuries of the pre-Slavic settlement in the regions between the Danube River and the ridges of the western Carpathians. |
Middle Nitra Region in the Early Middle Ages. Ad fontes.
Stredné Ponitrie vo včasnom stredoveku. Ad fontes.
| Duration: | 1.1.2024 - 31.12.2027 |
| Program: | VEGA |
| Project leader: | Mgr. Robak Zbigniew PhD. |
| Annotation: | The main goal of the project is mapping, verification and chronological classification of early medieval (6th-11th c.) archaeological and historical sites in the Middle Nitra River basin and adjacent mountain areas: Tribeč, Strážovské vrchy and Považský Inovec. The goal of the project is to create a comprehensive catalogue of sites (settlements, hillforts, burial grounds) including basic information about dating. The catalogue will then serve as the primary basis for reconstructing the historical development of the region in the Early Middle Ages. The project will also summarise and verify the source base, which will be supplemented by new scientific analyses of already available or newly obtained samples. The project solution also includes an evaluation of the source base and the publication of these analyses in partial studies. The project also envisages making available to the public the latest research results of IA SAS on the most important archaeological sites in Middle Nitra Region. |
Technical ceramics in the Hornád basin from Prehistory to Migration period. Multi-analytical scientific approach
Technická keramika v povodí Hornádu od praveku po obdobie sťahovania národov. Multi-analytický vedecký prístup
| Duration: | 1.1.2025 - 31.12.2028 |
| Program: | VEGA |
| Project leader: | Mgr. Olšav Štefan PhD. |
| Annotation: | Ceramics are among the most common archaeological artifacts. They are a cornerstone for identifying archaeological cultures at sites, studying mutual interactions, and dating archaeological contexts. Therefore, prominent ceramic forms, often richly decorated, which present sets of ceramic vessels of past communities, stand at the forefront of archaeological research. On the periphery of scientific investigation appears primarily the so-called technical ceramics, mainly due to the complexity of interpreting these objects. Yet, technical ceramics have a very high potential for studying past technologies. In some cases, they may demonstrate the production of goods for which no archaeological evidence has previously been available. Most crucial, however, is the verification of hypotheses regarding specific types of technical ceramics, for which we lack clear evidence of their function. The current spectrum of multidisciplinary analyses allows archaeological questions to be answered through exact data. Addressing questions concerning the purpose of individual technological ceramic devices, their manufacturing processes, and their handling requires a wide range of analyses. Thanks to interdisciplinary cooperation with the natural sciences, we can identify vessels used for producing and storing technical materials (such as pigments) or foodstuffs (specialized vessels for salt or cheese precipitation). Microscopy enables the examination and sampling of residues on surfaces, as well as the application of trace analysis to study wear marks (e.g., clay disks). Through petrography, spectrometry, and other analytical methods, we can determine the material properties and describe the manufacturing technology of specialized objects (such as metallurgical crucibles, censers, or loom weights), as well as address the provenance of raw materials used for ceramic production. Chromatographic chemical methods make it possible to identify organic remains within the ceramic matrix (candlesticks and lamps, clay spoons, dispensers, distillation devices). To ensure the reliability of interpretations based on analytical results, we will experimentally test the individual procedures in practice. |
Valaliky – the Starting Point for Modern Investigation of Prehistoric Settlement in the Košická kotlina plain, Stage I
Valaliky – východisko novodobého výskumu prehistorického osídlenia Košickej roviny, I. etapa
| Duration: | 1.1.2026 - 31.12.2029 |
| Program: | VEGA |
| Project leader: | PhDr. Horváthová Eva PhD. |
| Annotation: | Archaeological excavations recently carried out on the premises of the Valaliky Industrial Park (VIP) company offer new possibilities to assess archaeological finds. They are particularly important in terms of the current knowledge of the late prehistory cultures, which relies on results of old investigations in the Košická rovina plain. With regard to the size of the excavated area in 2023 (16.7 ha), the construction site of “VIP – pri Rádiu, site 2” will be evaluated together with the site of “Strategické územie Valaliky – Voda a kanalizácia”. It is an area of 7 ha with documented settlements and burial grounds from the Eneolithic and Bronze Age. The results from georeferencing and LiDAR data create a solid basis for continuing synthesizing investigation. Apart from characteristics of find contexts and typological chronology of finds, the investigation will focus on obtaining interdisciplinary data contributing to a better explanation of prehistoric settlement along the lower Hornád river stream. |
Validation of Late Prehistoric sites in selected regions by interdisciplinary and non-destructive research
Validácia nálezísk mladšieho praveku vo vybraných regiónoch metódami interdisciplinárnej a nedeštruktívnej archeológie
| Duration: | 1.1.2024 - 31.12.2027 |
| Program: | VEGA |
| Project leader: | Mgr. Oravkinová Dominika PhD. |
| Annotation: | Social transformations of the Late Prehistory Slovakia are mainly identified with changes in material culture and settlement structures. These can be better understood by evaluating previously documented archaeological records within various spatiotemporal contexts. As the current knowledge of socio-economic oscillations and their causes varies across periods and regions, further research must be conducted through a series of concurrent and independent tasks. The heuristic is aimed to supplement the source base allowing for an assessment of the general settlement dynamics. Its content will be refined by analyzing selected artifacts and ecofacts using standard interdisciplinary methods. Finally, we will focus on verifying the sites with future research potential through non-destructive and minimally destructive field surveys. The acquired knowledge will be applied in the methodology, in the refinement of interpretative models, as well as in further research conceptions and archaeological heritage protection. |
Verification of the Late Middle Palaeolithic and Early Upper Palaeolithic archaeological contexts from caves in Slovakia
Verifikácia jaskynných archeologických kontextov zo sklonku stredného a počiatku mladého paleolitu na Slovensku
| Duration: | 1.1.2023 - 31.12.2026 |
| Program: | VEGA |
| Project leader: | Mgr. Nemergut Adrián Ph.D. |
| Annotation: | The project deals with the transition between the Late Middle Palaeolithic and Early Upper Palaeolithic, when Neanderthals disappear from archaeological contexts and the finds of anatomically modern humans gradually emerge and expand. The Middle Danube region plays an important role in this topic. Recently, research of this issue in the surrounding countries has shifted considerably, especially in connection with new or re-evaluation of older data from archaeological excavations carried out in the 19th-20th centuries. Particularly important are the archaeological contexts deposited in the caves. Despite the fact that we know many important cave sites in Slovakia, research of this issue has not progressed significantly in recent years. The project builds on new results from Hungary, Moravia and Poland. The project aims to verify cave contexts from this period in Slovakia and their interdisciplinary evaluation. |
Relationship between the Byzantine Empire and the territory of Slovakia on the basis of archaeological and numismatic findings (5th - 15th century)
Vzťah Byzantskej ríše a územia Slovenska na základe archeologických a numizmatických nálezov (5. - 15. storočie)
| Duration: | 1.1.2026 - 31.12.2029 |
| Program: | VEGA |
| Project leader: | Mgr. Prohászka Péter PhD. |
| Annotation: | The aim of the research is to collect, catalogue and evaluate Byzantine finds (coins, costume items, jewellery, seals, etc.) found in the territory of Slovakia. In addition to the data found in the literature, a catalogue of Byzantine finds from the territory of Slovakia preserved in Slovak and foreign museums will be compiled, including their dimensions, scientific classification, photographs and drawings. On the basis of this catalogue we would analyse the relations of the territory of Slovakia with the Byzantine Empire in the 5th to 15th centuries, including published artefacts from neighbouring countries. |
Old finds rediscovered. The contribution of archival materials to the knowledge of our earlier medieval history.
Znovuobjavené staré nálezy. Prínos archívnych materiálov pre poznanie našich starších stredovekých dejín.
| Duration: | 1.1.2024 - 31.12.2027 |
| Program: | VEGA |
| Project leader: | PhDr. Fusek Gabriel CSc. |
| Annotation: | In the archives and deposits of scientific institutions there is documentation from large-scale archaeological excavations carried out several decades ago, which have never been completely processed. The aim of the project is to make available and scientifically evaluate archival holdings from several phases of the Middle Ages (7th – 13th centuries). The basic source base is represented by large settlements and cemeteries from western Slovakia, supplemented by smaller material collections. |
The total number of projects: 24