Provincial Roman Archaelogy in Austria 1918-1945

The object of the research project is the history of Provincial Roman Archaeology in Austria - in particular in the areas of the Roman provinces of Noricum and Pannonia - in its political and social contexts during the period from 1918 until 1945, a period characterised by numerous incisive changes in the political system. Interruptions and continuities in archaeological research after the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, during the period of radical change of 1918/19 at the creation of the First Republic, during the era of Austro-fascism, and up to the period of National Socialism all should be made apparent, while connections between scientific research and politics should be worked out and the influence of the respective ideologies on research should be investigated. The Project will essentially be based on archival sources (files, minutes, personal papers, excavation documents) primarily stored in Austrian archives. Methodologically, the Project will be carried out on two complementary levels. Proceeding from archival and bibliographic research, a broad-based documentation of the institutions and individuals which were relevant for archaeological research will be created. At the archaeological- and scientifically historical level, aspects of substance will be worked out with the aid of questions directed to the individual thematic fields: - the sphere of influence and the development of the institutions in Vienna and in the federal states; - the activities of the responsible individuals in the pursuit of science, and their influence on the performance of, and setting of priorities for, archaeological research; - areas of concentration determined by ideology, and ideologically determined interpretation of finds; - the influence of political Catholicism during the "Ständestaat" (authoritarian state), and of the racial theories of National Socialism, on research. By means of an interdisciplinary, cooperative study, a connection will be established between documentary analysis and investigations into the history of science. On the basis of an extensive documentation of sources, the project therefore represents a linkage between the areas of the history of archaeological research, the history of institutions, and biography, all of which will be presented in their political and ideological contexts.

The goal of the scientific historical project Provincial Roman Archaeology in Austria 19181945 was to investigate archaeological research in Austria during the first half of the 20th century in its political and ideological contexts. Connections between scholarship and politics should be made clear. The period covered in the project extends from the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy over the First Republic, the Austro-fascist regime (authoritarian Ständestaat) and the period of National Socialism until the Second Republic. The project is based on archival sources and contemporary literature. Methodically, it was carried out on two complementary levels: documentary analysis and investigations into the history of science. In the course of extensive research in Austrian and German archives an amount of relevant material was recorded and analysed in a databank. The databank is also a foundation for further research due to the abundance of information acquired. Proceeding from archival and bibliographic research, a broad based documentation was created. At the archaeological and scientific historical level, substantial aspects have been worked out with the aid of questions directed to individual thematic fields, e.g. continuities and interruptions, the influence of the historical turning points 1918/19, 1933/34, 1938 and 1945 on research.As one result of the project a documentation of Austrian archaeologists (scholars and archaeological laypersons) is in preparation which also informs about the existence of unpublished sources. A collective-biographical analysis will show differences and similarities between groups of persons and will make visible the scientific, political and social networks in which these persons were involved. Detailed biographies of some important representatives of archaeology in Austrian taking into account their political involvement and their scientific work have already been worked out. The preoccupation with the fate of displaced persons as well as research on the further career of many archaeologists after 1945 is also a contribution to Austrian post-war history and to Austrias dealing with the Nazi period. One of the goals of the project was to establish a connection between archaeological and historical research on the basis of an extensive documentation of sources and to anchor the topic history of science in Austrian archaeology.