Project
Institute of Archaeology
International Projects
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Bilaterálna dohoda o spolupráci medzi ArÚ SAV, v. v. i. a ArÚ AV ČR, Brno, v. v. i.
| Duration: | 1. 6. 2023 - 1. 6. 2030 |
| Program: | Bilaterálne - iné |
| Project leader: | doc. PhDr. Ruttkay Matej CSc. |
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Bilaterálna dohoda o spolupráci medzi ArÚ SAV, v. v. i. a Moravským zemským múzeom
| Duration: | 1. 6. 2023 - 1. 6. 2028 |
| Program: | Bilaterálne - iné |
| Project leader: | doc. PhDr. Ruttkay Matej CSc. |
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Bilaterálna dohoda o spolupráci medzi ArÚ SAV, v. v. i. a Ústavom archeológie a etnológie Poľskej akadémie vied
| Duration: | 13. 12. 2023 - 12. 12. 2028 |
| Program: | Bilaterálne - iné |
| Project leader: | PhDr. Pieta Karol DrSc. |
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Bilaterálna dohoda o spolupráci medzi ArÚ SAV, v. v. i., a Max Planck Institut, Leipzig
| Duration: | 9. 10. 2025 - 6. 10. 2030 |
| Program: | Bilaterálne - iné |
| Project leader: | Mgr. Nemergut Adrián Ph.D. |
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Bilaterálna dohoda o spolupráci medzi ArÚ SAV, v. v. i., a Slezskou univerzitou v Opavě
| Duration: | 17. 7. 2025 - 31. 12. 2030 |
| Program: | Bilaterálne - iné |
| Project leader: | doc. PhDr. Ruttkay Matej CSc. |
Bilateral cooperation agreement
Bilaterálna dohoda o spolupráci s Jagellonskou univerzitou v Krakove
| Duration: | 25. 5. 2022 - 25. 5. 2026 |
| Program: | Bilaterálne - iné |
| Project leader: | doc. PhDr. Ruttkay Matej CSc. |
| Annotation: | Cooperation between the two institutions in the implementation, processing and publication of research results from the Paleolithic and Mesolithic periods in Slovakia. |
Computational Techniques for Tabletop Games Heritage (GameTable)
Computational Techniques for Tabletop Games Heritage (GameTable)
| Duration: | 24. 10. 2023 - 23. 10. 2027 |
| Evidence number: | CA22145 |
| Program: | COST |
| Project leader: | Mgr. Kovár Branislav PhD. |
| Annotation: | The main aim of the GameTable network is to create an international and interdisciplinary network of scholars and stakeholders from all career stages across academia, industry, and heritage institutions to inspire methodologies and applications on how to use game AI to study, reconstruct, and preserve the intangible cultural heritage of games. More holistic methodologies will be achieved by developing more human-like AI techniques, using them to analyse mathematical properties of games, and combining them with gametheoretic models, and guiding them with knowledge of games of the past and a cross-cultural understanding of human gameplay. |
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Dohoda o spolupráci s Inštitútom európskej kultúry
| Duration: | 19. 12. 2024 - 18. 12. 2029 |
| Program: | Bilaterálne - iné |
| Project leader: | Mgr. Oravkinová Dominika PhD. |
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Dohoda o vedeckej spolupráci s Hrvatski Restauratorski Zavod
| Duration: | 1. 1. 2024 - 1. 1. 2029 |
| Program: | Bilaterálne - iné |
| Project leader: | PhDr. Daňová Klaudia PhD. |
Agreement on scientific cooperation.
Dohoda o vedeckej spoluprácie medzi Zavodom za podvodno Arheologijo ZAPA, (Slovinsko) a Trnavskou Univerzitou
| Duration: | 1. 1. 2021 - 4. 3. 2026 |
| Program: | Bilaterálne - iné |
| Project leader: | PhDr. Daňová Klaudia PhD. |
| Annotation: | The Agreement was developed to strengthen mutual co-operation in addressing the specific tasks of archaeological research in the field of research, education and culture on underwater archeology. |
GEODAP - ERC Consolidator grant GEOarchaeology of DAily Practices: exstracting bronze age liveways from the domestic stratigraphic record - agreement on cooperation
ERC Consolidator grant GEOarchaeology of DAily Practices: exstracting bronze age liveways from the domestic stratigraphic record - dohoda o spolupráci
| Duration: | 31. 1. 2023 - 20. 1. 2027 |
| Evidence number: | 101001839 |
| Program: | Horizont Európa |
| Project leader: | Prof. PhDr. Bátora Jozef DrSc. |
| Annotation: | What was daily life like in the European Bronze Age? In contrast to large-scale narratives based on artefacts, often prestige items from funerary contexts, this project focuses on the practices of daily domestic life, recorded in the sediments upon which it took place. These constitute the domestic stratigraphic record. This project, therefore, shifts the scale and the object of archaeological investigation, and aims at bringing interdisciplinary scientific analyses into dialogue with anthropological understandings of lifeways and households. Its main objective is the formulation of an innovative narrative of the Bronze Age addressing social, economic, and environmental aspects of a culturally interconnected region of Europe. The daily practices and life histories of bronze age people will be the pixels of this new picture that challenges previous depersonalized narratives relying on material culture. The region between the Carpatho-Danubian basin, the Balkans, and northern Italy was selected due to its important cultural interactions during the Bronze Age. Ten key archaeological sites in six European countries constitute the project’s database. Its innovative interdisciplinary approach integrates geoarchaeology (micro-stratigraphic analysis), organic chemistry (biomarkers) and archaeo-botany (phytoliths, seeds, fruits, and charcoal) to reconstruct with unprecedented accuracy the daily practices from domestic stratigraphy. This information will be compared with the story told by material culture and integrated with local paleo-environmental records. The project, in fact, challenges also previous reconstructions that called in environmental mega-events (volcanic eruptions, glacial advances, aridity events) to aprioristically explain broad cultural phenomena of the Bronze Age. Their inherent complexity can only be faced by crystallizing detailed micro-histories and site-specific environmental reconstructions into a broader synthesis based on hard scientific data. |
| Project web page: | https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101001839 |
UNEARTH - ERC Consolidator grant Unearthing ancient social structures with sediment DNA - agreement on cooperation
ERC Consolidator grant Unearthing ancient social structures with sediment DNA, - dohoda o spolupráci
| Duration: | 1. 1. 2023 - 31. 12. 2028 |
| Evidence number: | 101125639 |
| Program: | Horizont Európa |
| Project leader: | Prof. PhDr. Bátora Jozef DrSc. |
| Project web page: | https://www.eva.mpg.de/press/news/article/unearthing-ancient-social-structures-with-sediment-dna/ |
HistoGenes - ERC grant "Integrating genetic, archaeological and historical perspectives on Eastern Central Europe, 400-900 AD." - agreement on cooperation
ERC grant "Integrating genetic, archaeological and historical perspectives on Eastern Central Europe, 400-900 AD." - dohoda o spolupráci
| Duration: | 1. 3. 2020 - 1. 3. 2026 |
| Evidence number: | HistoGenes 856453 |
| Program: | Horizont 2020 |
| Project leader: | doc. PhDr. Ruttkay Matej CSc. |
| Annotation: | The core objectives of the project are to explore the impact of mobility on early medieval populations, refine the methods of archaeogenetic research, and establish a multidisciplinary model for future research. Institute of Archaeology SAS is an associated partner of ELTE, with whom the bilaterla agreement was signed on the cooperation on given project. IA SAS will provide selection and will submit the samples of human bone material from selected archaeological sites in Slovakia. |
ERC grant „Eastern Central Europe’s earliest shelters“ - cooperation agreement
ERC grant „Eastern Central Europe’s earliest shelters“ - dohoda o spolupráci
| Duration: | 1. 1. 2026 - 31. 12. 2029 |
| Evidence number: | ERC-2023-COG 101124398-HOME |
| Program: | Horizont Európa |
| Project leader: | doc. PhDr. Kaminská Ľubomíra DrSc. |
Feldforschung der linearbandkeramischen Siedlung in Vráble, Flur Veľké Lehemby und Farské
Feldforschung der linearbandkeramischen Siedlung in Vráble, Flur Veľké Lehemby und Farské
| Duration: | 1. 7. 2025 - 30. 6. 2028 |
| Program: | Bilaterálne - iné |
| Project leader: | PhDr. Bistáková Alena PhD. |
Memorandum of understanding between IA SAS, v.v.i., and Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Memorandum o porozumení medzi AÚ SAV, v.v.i., a Katedrou vied o Zemi a o životnom prostredí, Brooklynská fakulta Univerzity mesta New York
| Duration: | 14. 10. 2024 - 13. 10. 2029 |
| Program: | Bilaterálne - iné |
| Project leader: | Mgr. Benediková Lucia PhD. |
| Annotation: | Cooperation on the research of the tin distribution in the Bronze Age and Iron Age Europe. Sampling for the analysis of tin isotopes. |
Tracing Blood and Social Ties: Integrating aDNA, Isotope Analyses, and Kinship Studies in a Research on the Bronze Age Cemetery at Nižná Myšľa (Slovakia)
Tracing Blood and Social Ties: Integrating aDNA, Isotope Analyses, and Kinship Studies in a Research on the Bronze Age Cemetery at Nižná Myšľa (Slovakia)
| Duration: | 1. 10. 2024 - 30. 9. 2028 |
| Evidence number: | OPUS 26, 2023/51/B/HS3/01381 |
| Program: | Bilaterálne - iné |
| Project leader: | Mgr. Oravkinová Dominika PhD. |
NCN - Transmission of steppe influences in Carpathian zone in 3rd millennium BC
Transmisia stepných vplyvov v Karpatskom pásme v III. tisícročí pred Kristom
| Duration: | 1. 9. 2021 - 31. 1. 2027 |
| Evidence number: | UMO-2020/37/B/HS3/03816 |
| Program: | Bilaterálne - iné |
| Project leader: | PhDr. Horváthová Eva PhD. |
| Annotation: | The project is focused on prospecting and investigation of selected tumuli from the turn of the Eneolithic and the Bronze Age which are located in the territory of the Východoslovenská nížina basin and the southern part of the Ondavská vrchovina mountains. The investigation will include archival sources and finds from older excavations. The goal of the project is to obtain new information from molecular genetics, radiocarbon, strontium, petrographic, archaeozoological and other analyses which will contribute to better assessment of the archaeological material from the studied tumuli. The obtained data will also be useful for solving geographically and culturally more general topics associated with the study of chronology, genesis, steppe elements and direct impacts of the Yamnaya and Corded Ware cultures in the regions of the Northern Tisza territory in the 3rd millenium BC. The concept of the project also follows from the cooperation with the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Archaeology of SAS which took place in the 1990s. |
Shelter: human-environment interactions in karst around pleistocene/holocene transition
Útočiská: interakcie človeka a prostredia v krasových oblastiach na prelome pleistocénu a holocénu
| Duration: | 1. 4. 2025 - 30. 9. 2026 |
| Evidence number: | 22430057 |
| Program: | International Visegrad Fund (IVF) |
| Project leader: | Mgr. Nemergut Adrián Ph.D. |
| Annotation: | The shelter project will deal with the important topic of climatic change and human response to it. An example of the environmental changearound the Pleistocene/Holocene transition is the most recent event, which can help us to catch regional differences of this global issue. Alarger scale and comparison within Central Europe is necessary. Karstic areas are present in all V4 countries, so they form a potential for acomparative dataset on a central European scale. Under the rock shelters and in the caves are usually well-preserved palaeoenvironmentaland archaeological records, so they are ideal places to study human-environment interactions within climatic change. Within the project willbe done excavations of two sites: the rockshelter (Skalice u Měňan (CZ) and the cave (Veľká ružínska (SK). From both are known well-preserved situations with archaeological and palaeoenvironmental record. This excavation will aim to collect new data, but even moreimportant will be to link what we know about the environment itself (phytolith analysis, charcoal, malacozoological, macroremain analyses)with the information on how did people used natural resources, especially plants (phytolith and starch analyses of the microremains on thetools and use-wear analysis). Fieldwork should also serve to form an international research group focused on the topic of karsticarchaeology. Another important point will be to disseminate information about the necessary protection of these sites and their actual way ofresearch between the general public, students, and semi-professional speleologists. |
Feldforschung der linearbandkeramischen Siedlung in Vráble, Flur Veľké Lehemby
Výskum sídliska kultúry s lineárnou keramikou v polohe Veľké Lehemby vo Vrábľoch
| Duration: | 1. 7. 2025 - 30. 6. 2028 |
| Evidence number: | DFG 560057566 |
| Program: | Bilaterálne - iné |
| Project leader: | PhDr. Bistáková Alena PhD. |
Lithic Raw Material Used at the Prehistory in Poland and Slovakia
Využívanie silicitových surovín v praveku na území Poľska a Slovenska
| Duration: | 1. 1. 2025 - 31. 12. 2026 |
| Program: | Mobility |
| Project leader: | Mgr. Cheben Michal PhD. |
Agreement of Co-operation between IA SAS and EÖTVÖS LORÁND UNIVERSITY, BUDAPEST
Zmluva o spolupráci medzi AÚ SAV a EÖTVÖS LORÁND UNIVERSITY, BUDAPEST
| Duration: | 16. 12. 2023 - 16. 12. 2027 |
| Program: | Bilaterálne - iné |
| Project leader: | doc. PhDr. Ruttkay Matej CSc. |
| Annotation: | The two institutions shall establish and encourage mutually beneficial scientific relations based on the following activities: Establishment of joint research projects, Exchange of scientific literature produced by either or both of the parties, as well as the exchange of material on research undertaken by researchers of both institutions, • Organisation of conferences, seminars and scientific and cultural activities of mutual interest to the institutions |
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Zmluva o vedeckej spolupráci medzi Mariupolskou štátnou univezitou - Ukrajina a Archeologickým ústavom SAV - SR
| Duration: | 9. 5. 2019 - 9. 5. 2028 |
| Program: | Bilaterálne - iné |
| Project leader: | doc. PhDr. Ruttkay Matej CSc. |
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Zmluva o vedeckej spolupráci s Národnou akadémiou vied Ukrajiny
| Duration: | 19. 7. 2024 - 18. 7. 2029 |
| Program: | Bilaterálne - iné |
| Project leader: | PhDr. Pieta Karol DrSc. |
National Projects
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 |
| Evidence number: | 2/0017/24 |
| 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. |
EDORIMS - Roman Period Elites of the Suebi People in the Central Europe
Elity doby rímskej u stredoeurópskych Svébov
| Duration: | 1. 7. 2022 - 30. 6. 2026 |
| Evidence number: | APVV - 21-0257 |
| Program: | APVV |
| 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 |
| Evidence number: | APD0209 |
| 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. |
ESFRI - DARIAH-S - 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: | Ministerstvo školstva, vedy, výskumu a športu |
| 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 |
| Evidence number: | 2/0167/24 |
| 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 |
| Evidence number: | APVV-23-0282 |
| Program: | APVV |
| 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 |
| Evidence number: | 09103-03-V02-00048 |
| Program: | Plán obnovy EÚ |
| 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 |
| Evidence number: | APVV-22-0151 |
| Program: | APVV |
| 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 |
| Evidence number: | 2024/OV3/008 |
| Program: | Iné projekty |
| 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 |
| Evidence number: | 2/0116/25 |
| 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. |
PERTEX - 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 |
| Evidence number: | APVV-24-0523 |
| Program: | APVV |
| 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 |
| Evidence number: | 2/0061/26 |
| 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 |
| Evidence number: | 2/0078/26 |
| 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 |
| Evidence number: | 1/0131/26 |
| 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 |
| Evidence number: | 2/0037/26 |
| 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 |
| Evidence number: | 2/0054/26 |
| 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 |
| Evidence number: | 1/0191/25 |
| 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 |
| Evidence number: | 2/0068/24 |
| 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 |
| Evidence number: | 2/0159/25 |
| 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 |
| Evidence number: | 2/0038/26 |
| 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 |
| Evidence number: | 2/0093/24 |
| 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 |
| Evidence number: | 2/0033/23 |
| 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 |
| Evidence number: | 2/0158/26 |
| 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 |
| Evidence number: | 2/0023/24 |
| 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. |
Projects total: 48